Billy Tannery smashes kickstarter goal in 6 hours

Billy Tannery is a new British leather brand founded by two entrepreneurs, Jack Millington and Rory Harker, both aged 28, from the Midlands, which makes products from kid goat leather tanned in their small-batch tannery or ‘microtannery’. Billy Tannery went live on Kickstarter on Wednesday this week and smashed its funding goal in just 6 hours. The campaign continues until 22nd June with special introductory prices in return for pre-orders.

Billy Tannery founder Jack Millington said,

“We have been staggered by the amazing support that we have seen for our crowdfunding campaign so far. With the initial target passed we are going into production, but there are still lots of rewards left so you can still get involved. It’s a great sign for the future of British kid leather, but this is just the start!”

Link to Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2ro5rPt

www.billytannery.co.uk

Billy Tannery began when founders Jack and Rory discovered that, due to the growth in demand for goat meat in the UK and the decline of the British leather industry, there were thousands of British goat hides going to waste. Now, having partnered with ethical goat meat supplier Cabrito, Billy Tannery use the leftover hides to produce premium vegetable tanned kid leather in their new tannery near Northampton.

Billy Tannery launched a range of luxury kid leather bags and accessories that are designed and handmade in Britain. It is the first leather brand of its kind in Britain, with a vertically integrated supply chain from hide to final product. Jack and Rory’s goal is to put an end to the waste of British goat hides by tapping into the rich leather heritage of the Midlands area. The first range of Billy Tannery products launched on the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter, on 24th May 2017.

Billy Tannery was founded by childhood friends Jack Millington and Rory Harker, both 28 and from the Midlands. They have worked in the marketing and design industries in London since university, but have always dreamt of starting a business together.

Even pre-Brexit, the increase in demand for British made products has been widely reported by The Guardian, Reuters and The Manufacturer.

Cabrito Goat Meat was founded by James Whetlor in 2012. Cabrito won an Observer Food Monthly Award (2014) for Best Ethical Producer, Good Housekeeping’s Champion Meat Producer (2016) and the Young British Foodies Meat Award (2016) and is a finalist in the Radio 4 Food Programme Food and Farming Awards 2017. 

Dr Kerry Senior of the UK Federation said, “UK Leather Federation is delighted that Billy Tannery, the first new tannery in the UK for many years, is now operating. This new venture highlights the great potential for growth and development of the leather industry and is a welcome addition to the high quality leather manufacturers in the UK.”

New Head Chef at The Twenty Six

Kent to California to the Isle of Wight. Simon is now back home in Kent.

Simon Ulph has joined the Kent based I’ll be Mother group as Head Chef of The Twenty Six.

Originally from New Romney, on the West Kent coast, the 26-year old’s career has taken him to London, California and the Isle of Wight, where he was most recently Head Chef of Thompson’s, Robert Thompson’s eponymous restaurant.

Simon has been connected to the I’ll be Mother group since he starting as commis at The Swan in West Malling, which was co-owned by Pete Cornwell, founder of I’ll be Mother. Working alongside Andrew Clarke (Brunswick House, London) and Scott Goss as sous chef, Simon can trace his cooking style back to those early years.

A meeting with Masahura Morimoto at the 2012 London Olympics during a three-week pop up led Simon to Napa, California for a year at the celebrated Morimoto. Here, Simon learnt the art of Japanese precision, patience and discipline. It also brought a love of Japanese and Asian flavours, especially sake and miso, which is now strongly evident in his cooking.

Back in the UK, Simon returned to Robert Thompson, first at The Hambrough, Ventor and The George Hotel and then at Thompsons, where he was Head Chef for 18 months.

Always a Kent boy, Simon was lured back to the mainland by his long team mate and friend Scott Goss. Scott, previously Head Chef of The Twenty Six, will be developing his role as Creative Director and Executive Chef at I’ll be Mother, bringing on talent in the other restaurants in the family, The Beacon and The Swan at Chapel Down.  Doug Sanham, recently promoted to Head Chef at The Beacon, has just won a prestigious Acorn Award 2017.

Simon will stay true to the values and ethos of The Twenty Six, but will bring his own style and personality to the menu. His new menu will see modern techniques, bold flavours, Asian influences, a new tasting menu and a series of high profile guest chef nights including Michael Bremner from 64 degrees, Brighton and Gary Usher from Sticky Walnut, Chester.

Dishes being developed include Pigs Head, Smoked Eel, Garden Radishes and Pickled Apple; Steamed Plaice, Courgettes, Sumac and Yoghurt; Mackerel Ceviche, Tomato Jelly and Muscovado Panna Cotta, Pineapple, Lime Sorbet and Dark Rum Mousse and what will surely become a signature at The Twenty Six, White Chocolate and Miso Fudge petit fours.

For images, interview or more information please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Cabrito Sunday Lunch Club at The Twenty Six

James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat

Roast Leg of Kid for Sunday lunch

Each month, the I'll be Mother group hosts the mother of all roasts, with the menu reflecting the quality and provenance of one beautiful piece of meat.

On 21 May, James Whetlor from ethical goat meat supplier Cabrito, is hosting the Sunday Lunch Club at The Twenty Six. Former River Cottage chef James has won an Observer Food Monthly Award for Best Ethical Producer, Good Housekeeping’s Champion Meat Producer, is a finalist in BBC Radio 4’s Food and Farming Awards and recently appeared on Channel 4’s Hidden Restaurants with Michel Roux Jnr.

On the table, head chef Scott Goss has created a menu full of new spring ingredients and roast leg of kid goat. Kid is similar to spring lamb and has a delicate, sweet and musky flavour. It is a strong enough flavour to stand up to the spice and heat of Middle-Eastern and North African recipes, but subtle enough to respond brilliantly to the herbs, garlic, wine and lemon of European cookery.

Snack

Kid faggot, artichoke and wild garlic crumb

To start

Kent asparagus roasted on Kentish cherry wood
Morels, cured egg yolk, aged parmesan

To follow

Leg of Kid goat, broad beans, confit shallots and lemon
Ratatouille, kid pomme anna, thyme gravy

To finish

Flavours of sherry trifle
Pistachio sponge, panna cotta, raspberry and sherry ice cream

Coffee and Chocolates

Places are £40 each and also include wine paired with the goat. Call 01892 544607 to book or visit the website. Sign up to I'll be Mother's Sunday Lunch Club newsletter to be the first to know about new date #SundayLunchClub

Kingdom, woodland retreat and cycling hub

Kent's leading cycling hub, Kingdom, is in a 13 acre woodland retreat in Penshurst

Kingdom is coming

www.thiskingdom.co.uk

Kingdom is a bit of a new one for The Dining Room, but a really exciting one, none the less. It's a woodland retreat and cycling hub with a 1.1 mile road track in a 13 acre plot in Penshurst, Kent. The club house, four gorgeous floors of wood and glass with an open air roof deck, is at the heart of Kingdom. The 9,500 sqft space is beautiful, and will be hugely popular for weddings, parties and corporate events. The cafe is run by Tunbridge Wells' favourite Basil Wholefoods, but this time you'll be able to eat a slice of their infamous carrot cake looking out into the woods or the 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside from the roof deck. Kingdom will be an amazing addition in Kent, with yoga and bike rental from Wyndymilla, all available on site.

Launching today, Kingdom is offering friends and family of the I'll be Mother group an opportunity to invest in the project, crowd-sourcing £360,000 for an equity share of 10% plus a range of rewards. Full details in Kent Business here. After two weeks the campaign will go live to the public. Want to switch off from the daily grind and own a piece of the adventure?

Following the crowdfunding, Kingdom is due to launch in Summer 2017. Have a peek at the video below for hint of what's to come.

Billy Tannery partners with Cabrito to launch kid leather microtannery

Jack Millington and Rory Harker, founders of Billy Tannery, the first kid leather microtannery in the UK

Billy Tannery to launch the first ever British kid leather products using goat hides left over from the UK food industry

www.billytannery.co.uk

Billy Tannery is a new British leather brand founded by two entrepreneurs, Jack Millington and Rory Harker, both aged 28, from the Midlands, which makes products from kid goat leather that is tanned in a small-batch tannery or ‘microtannery’. The Billy Tannery website goes live today ahead of a product launch on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in May 2017.

Billy Tannery began when founders Jack and Rory discovered that, due to the growth in demand for goat meat in the UK and the decline of the British leather industry, there were thousands of hides going to waste. Now, having partnered with ethical goat meat supplier Cabrito, Billy Tannery use the leftover hides to produce premium vegetable tanned kid leather.

Billy Tannery is launching a range of luxury kid leather bags and accessories that are designed and handmade in Britain. It is the first leather brand of its kind in Britain, with a vertically integrated supply chain from hide to final product. Jack and Rory’s goal is to put an end to the waste of British goat hides by tapping into the rich leather heritage of the Midlands area. The first range of Billy Tannery products launches on the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter, in May 2017.

Billy Tannery founder Jack Millington said, “Despite the clear link between meat and leather, the topic is often uncomfortable and rarely discussed. In a time of increasing interest in provenance, our partnership with Cabrito allows us to trace our leather all the way back to the farm.”

More information can be found at www.billytannery.co.uk

- Billy Tannery was founded by childhood friends Jack Millington and Rory Harker, both 28 and from the Midlands. They have worked in the marketing and design industries in London since university, but have always dreamt of starting a business together

- The first range of Billy Tannery products will include notebooks, a card holder, a briefcase, a tote bag and a backpack. Product images coming in mid-April 2017

- Cabrito Goat Meat was founded by James Whetlor in 2012. Cabrito won an Observer Food Monthly Award (2014) for Best Ethical Producer, Good Housekeeping’s Champion Meat Producer (2016) and the Young British Foodies Meat Award (2016) and is a finalist in the Radio 4 Food Programme Food and Farming Awards 2017. (www.cabrito.co.uk)

The first range of Billy Tannery products will include notebooks, a card holder, a briefcase, a tote bag and a backpack

A tart for March

Served with sour cream and a glass of Jurancon 2014 Clos Thou, a small-batch sweet wine made from super-late harvested grapes. Perfect.

Hazelnut and sour cream cake

A few weeks ago I was at a really wonderful event in Bristol, a wine dinner with chef Matt Williamson and Vine Trail, a specialist in small domaines in France. A review of the evening, hosted at Hamilton House in Bristol is in the March issue of the brilliant South-West food magazine, Crumbs. Matt's wife Claire Thomson (of 5 o'clock Apron fame) made the most delicious tart for pudding and here is the recipe...

Hazelnut and sour cream cake (serves 8-10)

Ingredients
120g light brown sugar
120g plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
65g cold butter, diced
120ml sour cream, plus extra to serve
1 egg
120g hazelnuts, skinned and chopped
4 plums, chopped into bitesize pieces
3 sticks pink rhubarb, chopped into 2cm pieces, tossed in 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar

Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4
Line a 25cm cake tin with grease proof paper
- Mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon together and rub in the butter until you have a sandy mixture
- Spread half of this mix into the cake tin and press down slightly, forming an even base
- Whisk together the sour cream, baking powder and egg. Add the remaining half of the flour mix to the sour cream, then pour it over the base of the tart
- Tip the fruit on top and sprinkle over the chopped hazelnuts
- Bake for 40 minutes. Serve with extra sour cream or creme fraiche

Goat, Fire, Feast

The fire pits at Durslade Farm, Somerset

Cabrito meets the Roth Bar & Grill Fire Pits

Bank Holiday Monday, 1st May
Lunch served from 12 noon - 2pm

Following the first show of Channel 4’s Hidden Restaurants with Michel Roux Jnr, Cabrito is teaming up with the Roth Bar & Grill in the small, ancient town of Bruton in Somerset for a Goat Feast over Fire. 

Led by husband and wife team Steve and Jules Horrell, Roth Bar and Grill is housed in the old cowshed of Durslade Farm, on the site of Hauser & Wirth, a pioneering world class arts gallery and multi-purpose arts centre, situated on the River Brue. Durslade is a working farm with livestock including Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle, Lleyn sheep and Oxford Sandy and Black pigs. The beautiful Kitchen Garden was created by world-renowned herb expert Jekka McVicar and supplies the kitchen with year-round seasonal vegetables and edible flowers.

Tickets are £25 per person for two courses and can be bought on eventbrite here. They're going to go fast!

www.rothbarandgrill.co.uk

5 Things to Savour

The Rialto fish market, a stone's throw from Alle Testiere, Venice

The best food and drink I've had this month

1/ A dozen scampi crudo, with oil and lemon, fresh from the lagoon in a tiny seafood restaurant in Venice www.osterialletestiere.it

2/ Rhubarb, plum and hazelnut tart by Claire Thomson at a Bristol supperclub with WeFiFo

3/ A very special and rare bottle (only 300 produced!) of Cotes du Jura 2012 Savagnin 'Intime Conviction' les Grange Paquenesses with Nick Brookes of Vine Trail, specialist importers of small domain French wines www.vinetrail.co.uk

4/ A deceptively simple but luscious baked potato soup from the new 10 mile menu at The Beacon www.the-beacon.co.uk

5/ Goat, goat and more goat. This time a Kid Goat Shawarma BBQ with sunshine and prosecco . And have a read of what Fran at Graphic Foodie, one of Brighton's best food blogs had to say, too.

Shawaaaaarma

Hidden Kitchens

Michel and Freddy are meeting passionate cooks and chefs who are setting up kitchens in remote or secretive locations

There's a new cookery programme starting and this one's a little bit different from the usual.

Hidden Kitchens, presented by Michel Roux Jr and Freddy Bird - executive chef of the Lido in Bristol - starts tonight (Wednesday 8th March at 8pm). They are on a quest to find the best and most unusual of the UK’s unknown places to eat. The first episode takes us down to the South-west where Michel meets James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat and chef Matt Gillan (who has just opened Red Roaster in Brighton) to cook kid on the fire.

Hidden Kitchens explores a very different type of restaurant that is burgeoning in the UK. In a bid to step away from the London-centric food scene, Michel and Freddy are meeting passionate cooks and chefs who are setting up kitchens in remote or secretive locations, which allow them - or force - them to be extremely inventive in their cooking, which creating a unique experience for diners wily enough to seek them out. These cooks are succeeding against the odds despite isolation and a lack of running water, to draw people in to their quirky spots. Ranging from people who have built roads to get supplies in, to the Colombian couple who use a double decker bus as their moveable restaurant, to an old four-seater ski lift which is being used to serve up food.

As well as visiting an array of up and running restaurants, each episode will follow one new restaurant from build to opening night showcasing the hard work and ingenious ideas that go into making these unusual restaurants work.

Cool kids cook kid

James Whetlor from Cabrito at Wilderness Festival, this summer

Cabrito are bringing their kids to Wilderness Festival, 3-6 August in Oxfordshire.  And are then going to throw them on the BBQ! 

And you can help.  Come along to EAT MY KIDS!

Kids are the name for young goats.  They are to goats what lambs are to sheep and even more delicious.

Early in the morning come and help James and chef Matt Williamson get the goat ready for a long days cook.

Children will help marinade the kid and build the BBQ.  They’ll learn about the cooking process and just how much fun it can be.  Where the animals come from and why we should eat from the nose to the tail.  How the food system works, which isn’t always simple as it may seem. 

At 4pm dinner will be ready. Come back to the fire and make your own tacos for dinner.  Help lay the table, make the salads and then stuff your face! And there's icecream too. There might even be enough left for the parents to try.

PS Human kids need an adult and be about 4 or over. 

Where the cool kids are.

All on board with Ronnie Murray

"Disability is the last taboo in the kitchen"

Ronnie Murray supports charity dinner for young people with special needs

Islington Boat Club is hosting a charity fundraising dinner with celebrity chef Ronnie Murray on Thursday 16 March, to help young adults with special needs to access watersports, socialise and gain new skills.

Ronnie Murray, who was group head chef for the HIX Group and competed in BBC 2’s Great British Menu is cooking the three-course menu with the help of young adults aged 14-21 from the All on Board club. Ronnie, from Peckham, South-East London, was born with a shortened arm, but has not let that hinder his career. He comments, “disability is the last taboo in the kitchen and there should be more access. It’s great to be working with these kids with special needs and proving anything can be achieved if you just get on with it.”

All on Board is a community project run by Islington Boat Club to help young people with special needs to access watersports, socialise and gain new skills. The club started its after school club in September 2016 and since it began there has been a group of young people with special needs and their carers coming every Thursday. They take part in lots of activities including narrowboating, powerboating, kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, bowling, swimming and baking. The group, including the carers, have found new friends in one another and all have gained confidence and new life skills.

Through the programme, the club also works with groups of different ages during the week to take part in free watersports activities.

The full menu from Ronnie Murray includes Peckham Manor potted smoked salmon with pickled cucumber, chicken thigh curry with crispy shallots, coriander, steamed rice and samphire pakoras (with a butternut squash vegetarian alternative) and for pudding Grandma Murray’s raspberry milk jelly, which was Ronnie’s most popular dish with the Great British Menu judges.

Dinner will be on the boat, starting at 7pm. Tickets are £15 per person and can be purchased through WeFiFo here. 

The All on Board club at Islington Boat Club is helping people with special needs access watersports, socialise and gain new skills

Where the wild things were

"Food is a fascination for me" 

Former River Cottage Head Chef and food writer Tim Maddams hosts series of wild food events with WeFiFo

Chef, food writer and cookery teacher Tim Maddams is cooking a series of wild food events with supper club platform WeFiFo, at the company’s farm HQ in rural Sussex.

On Wednesday 5 April at 12.30pm, Tim will cook a Foraging Feast, full of the joys of Spring, using plenty of the new season's foraged ingredients. Places are £30 each and can be bought here. The event is child friendly and children go free.

~the menu~
Wild garlic focaccia, salted butter
Carrot croquette, flowers and wild herbs
Smoked trout, parsley soup, rape seed oil, yoghurt
Roast lamb, spring greens and roasting juices
Rhubarb, ice cream, crumble

On Wednesday 17 May at 7pm is Tim’s Where the Wild Things Were dinner. This seasonal game supper is a grown-up affair, with only 15 places, which are £60 each with paired wines and book signing. Tickets can be bought here.

 ~menu~ 
Flat breads, rape seed oil, spices and herbs
Cured and roasted pigeon, marinated asparagus, wild mint
Rabbit, cooked under butter, gnocchi
Smoked roasted roe deer, cider braised neck, Cornish new spuds, wild sorrel
Rhubarb, gin jelly, geranium ice cream, oat crumble

Having spent much of his childhood on the family farm in Wiltshire, Tim gleaned a close understanding of farming and fostered a love of the Great British countryside, wild food and quality produce, which forms the ethos of his culinary philosophy today. Formerly Head Chef at the River Cottage Canteen, working with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tim has also cooked in the professional kitchens of culinary luminaries including Fergus Henderson, Alistair Little, Marco Pierre White and Mark Hix. While in Devon, Tim regularly appeared alongside Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on both the River Cottage series on Channel 4 and the Fish Fight campaign.

“Food is a fascination for me. it’s not just about good cookery. Great produce is hard to find and my love of foraging, fishing and hunting has provided me with some interesting and unusual views on food. I feel strongly about the importance of knowing where your food comes from, and taking an active role in acquiring it – the ethics behind its production and knowing the sustainability of the ingredients. I believe we have a duty to understand these issues, as well as to try eat as seasonally as possible – it not only tastes better but helps support our local food producers…. and challenges us to be a bit more creative too” tim Maddams

For more information about Tim's wild food events and WeFifo please contact hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk or 07730 039361.

The mother of all roasts

Dry-aged Herefordshire sirloin

Kent restaurant group I’ll be Mother launches new Sunday Lunch Club

The first in the once a month club will be at The Twenty Six and is the mother of all Sunday Roasts, a classic roast of dry-aged Herefordshire sirloin with all the trimmings and some special touches from Chef Patron Scott Goss.

Each month, at either The Twenty Six or The Beacon, the menu will reflect the quality and provenance of a beautiful piece of meat. On occasion, we will also invite the supplier or farmer to the lunch to tell you more about the animal and its meat.

In the family spirit, which is at the heart of I’ll be Mother, everyone will all eat at the same time, 1.30pm. I'll be arriving a little early for either a Chapel Down Kir Royale or a Bloody Mary before sitting down at the feasting table.

www.thetwenty-six.co.uk #SundayLunchClub

"Our Sunday Lunch Clubs are all about sharing good food with good company." Scott Goss

Sunday 26th February
Everyone to sit to eat at 1.30pm
£26 per person

Small Plates
Blow-torched mackerel & rhubarb
Ham & frozen foie gras
Cauliflower & fermented mushrooms

Main Event
Roast Shorthorn beef, fresh horseradish, beef dripping potatoes, sharing Yorkshire pudding, roasted garden roots, bone marrow and thyme gravy

To finish
Baked blood orange meringue
Coffee and Chocolates

Cabrito supports Eatopia event for Action Against Hunger

Mary Ellen hiking in Ethiopia

Mary-Ellen McTague to host Eatiopia event at Habesha

Cabrito Goat Meat supports event raising funds for Action Against Hunger

On Monday, February 6th, Mary-Ellen McTague, chef at The Real Junk Food Project, will be in the kitchen at Ethiopian restaurant Habesha, cooking a three-course meal to help raise vital funds for global humanitarian organisation, Action Against Hunger.

Located on Sackville Street, and the only Ethiopian restaurant in Manchester, it’s the perfect location for Mary-Ellen, who was part of a group of the North’s finest chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality industry experts who took part in an 80km trek in Ethiopia in October last year, in a bid to raise over £100,000 for Action Against Hunger.

Francine Heggie from Action Against Hunger said: “Mary-Ellen was part of an incredible team of trekkers, who are about to reach their ambitious target of raising £100,000 through the trek. This is a lovely way to round off the project, celebrating Ethiopia’s fantastic cuisine while raising funds to support Action Against Hunger’s work saving the lives of malnourished children.”

Supported by James Whetlor’s Cabrito, which is providing goat meat for the event, the night will see guests enjoy a three course meal and a coffee ceremony for £40. The night will also include footage taken from the group’s trek to Ethiopia, which saw the group reach altitudes of 3,400 metres and on one occasion trek for 13 hours straight.  

The menu for the night includes Ethiopian Goat Sambusa (lentils for vegetarians) with Berbere and Buticha, cooked by Mary-Ellen, a traditional Ethiopian main course; Injere bread, stews and garnishes, cooked by Habesha, followed by Ayib & Honey Parfait with Shembra Kolo, again cooked by Mary-Ellen.

Tickets for the event can be purchased from Eventbrite at: https://eatiopia.eventbrite.co.uk

Savoie wine dinner in Bristol with WeFiFo

Matt Williamson

Well-known and loved Bristol chef, Matt Williamson, is collaborating with supper club platform WeFiFo and specialist French wine importer Vine Trail to host a 5 course wine dinner from one of the most exciting gastronomic regions, the Savoie. Book tickets here.

Matt has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the independent restaurant sector in a variety of establishments; from 2 star Michelin restaurants to top end gastro-pubs, bustling London bistros and private members’ clubs.

He has a track record of establishing sites as food destinations, and after arriving in Bristol in 2008 opened his own acclaimed restaurant Flinty Red, that won accolades nationally and locally, including Michelin, National Restaurant Awards, Good Food Guide and Observer Food Monthly Awards.

He has also created and collaborated on a number of successful side projects and enjoys a broad range of food related activities included education, book writing, private events, food and new product development, restaurant and event consultancy and project management immersive food experiences and collaborations with food producers and other creative and commercial sectors.

Matt is an extremely passionate, creative and professional operator whose career has been inspired and shaped as much by extensive travels and collaborations as by professional kitchen experience.

The Savoie, in the Rhone Alps region of Eastern France. Cheese, wild mushrooms, rich stews and fruit tarts are all popular on the Savoyard table.

7pm arrival Thursday 23 February, 2017

Hamilton House, Bristol, BS1

MENU £55

On arrival
Bugey Montagnieu NV Brut Franck Peillot
Buckwheat Chaussons

First course
Chignin 13 Gilles Berlioz
 Lightly cured lemon verbena trout with apple

Second course
Anjou 2014 ‘Les Varennes’ Les Roches Seches
Scallop baked in the shell, hazelnut brown butter, samphire

Third course
Vinsobres 2012 ‘Emile’ Dom de la Pequelette
Wild boar civet with chestnut polenta

Cheese
Cotes du Jura 2012 Savagnin ‘Intime Conviction’ les Granges Paquenesses

Dessert
Jurancon 2014 clos Thou
Plum, rhubarb and almond tart

For more information about Matt’s wine dinner or WeFiFo, please contact:
Hannah Blake at The Dining Room PR | hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk | 07730 039361

Scott Goss, one of the UK's most influential chefs

Pleased as punch that Scott Goss, Chef Patron at The Twenty Six, part of the I'll be Mother group of restaurants in Kent has been included in food and travel magazine Olive's list of most influential chefs in the UK and 'one's to watch' in 2017.

The Twenty Six is my test kitchen. There are no rules. 

Scott's food is deceptively simple, big on flavour and technique, with a passion for ingredients and integrity. There's always a surprise of something unexpected or untried before. He's a big talent and one I'm sure the Michelin inspectors are looking at very closely!

See Olive's full list in their January issue or see this link.

One to watch. Grab a table while you can!

A duck, a chef and hungry diners looking for food and friends...

Your place or mine?

Move over John Lewis! The award for ad with all the Christmas feels goes to WeFiFo, a new platform revolutionising social dining, connecting enthusiastic cooks with hungry guests. Have a look at this wonderful animation to find out more...www.wefifo.com

(Animation and illustration by Anna Ginsburg, concept illustration by Alexis Deacon, sound design by Ed Berriman)

WeFiFo - airbnb for food

A social dining revolution from London to Lancashire

A Game Feast at Ronnie Murray's Peckham Manor supperclub hosted with WeFiFo

To a cold and drizzly Peckham last night for Ronnie Murray’s (ex-Group Head Chef of HIX and of recent Great British Menu fame) Peckham Manor supperclub with WeFiFo. It was a sensational menu full of Autumnal flavours with blackberries, pigeon and venison steamed suet puddings. The standout dish was pudding, an Autumn Tasting Plate, a dish Ronnie described as a walk through the woods with various blackberry preparations, granola, lemon curd, honeycomb and a greedy, tooth-tinglingly-sweet dollop of honey, fresh from his Dad’s beehives in Berkshire.

Autumn on a plate.

It was my first experience of WeFiFo, a new platform leading the social dining revolution connecting people, who love cooking, with those who love eating. Cannily described as ‘airbnb for food’, WeFiFo is for home cooks, supper club hosts and pop restaurants to create and host food based events in their own home.

Supper clubs are not just for professional cooks though, people up and down the country are opening up their homes to share food and company. Maria Grieco, a truly wonderful human being, from Lancashire joined WeFiFo in June and has already fed nearly 200 people, many of whom would otherwise be eating in isolation. She hosts an average of two WeFiFo events a week, from a traditional Sunday roast to exotic Syrian themed evenings for the recent #CookforSyria charity initiative. Guests have included a dementia sufferer and her live-in carer, five woman all in their 70s who live in sheltered accommodation and a single mother and her son, who hadn’t had a Sunday roast in 5 years.

"We all have to eat - and food is the building block of humanity. Meals should be shared. Eating should be about sharing food, conversation, laughter, tears, stories and life. No one should eat alonE, unless they want to."

Maria Grieco, WeFiFo host, and all round superstar

Hear, hear Maria. I will be joining you on the WeFiFo revolution!

www.wefifo.com

Ronnie plating a salad of pigeon, pickled elderberries and wet walnuts.

Proud Mother Hen

The Beacon down Tea Garden Lane

Talent in Tunbridge Wells

I am hopping around like a proud mother hen as not one but two of the talented team at The Beacon, part of the I'll be Mother group in Kent have been shortlisted for a national hospitality award. Doug Sanham, 27, Sous Chef and George Lee, 19, Assistant Manager at The Beacon, are two finalists on a shortlist of 10 including entries from the Four Seasons and The Savoy Hotel, London for the national scholarship and bursary, worth £5,000.

Known as the Acorns, the prestigious Scholarship is an independent bursary award created by The Caterer, the leading trade magazine for the restaurant and hospitality industry. The competition presents a young manager, chef, HR manager, sommelier, or any young high-achiever involved in hospitality with the opportunity to make a name for themselves by presenting their skills and ambitions to some of the most respected names in the industry. 

With a prize worth more than £5,000, the 2017 Acorn Scholar will become part of a prestigious Acorn Scholarship alumni. The scholarship is now in its 14th year, and past winners include Simon Houston, now sales director of Bartlett Mitchell, award-winning chocolatier and patissier Will Torrent and Daniel McLoughlin, opening project manager of Shoda Café & Restaurant.

The winner will be chosen after a full day of face-to-face interviews at Coworth Park, Berkshire in on 21st November.

The Beacon, known as the Garden Kitchen, is an 80 cover restaurant, with private dining and event space and is part of the I’ll be Mother group including The Twenty Six in Southborough (Test Kitchen) and The Swan at Chapel Down in Tenterden (Wine Kitchen).  All three restaurants have been listed in the recent Michelin Eating Out Guide 2017.

Dan Doherty's goat meatballs for Goatober

Goatober is in full swing, a wonderful month-long celebration of the dairy billy goat industry which, historically, have been killed at birth, as there is only a small market for the meat in the UK.

So, here'a a lovely recipe by Dan Doherty at Duck and Waffle for Goat meatballs, roasted plums, marmite broth. Happy Goatober!

200g minced goat meat
125g goat heart
100g goat liver
125g pork belly
1g ground cumin
1g ground coriander
1 handful parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs thyme, picked and chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
40mlpPort
50g oats
1 egg
Sea Salt
Black pepper

Mince the offal and pork belly, and mix all together with the goat mince. 
In a pan on a medium heat, add a splash of oil and sweat the shallot and garlic. 
Add the port, and reduce by 75%. Allow to cool.
Once cool, add to the goat mix along with all the other ingredients. 
Roll into balls approximately 40g in size. 

To serve

4 plums, stone removed and quartered
30g unsalted butter
2 tbsp marmite
300ml chicken stock

Heat a pan big enough for the meatballs, with a little room spare. 
Add a splash of oil, and add the meatballs and colour all over and then add the plums and sauté all together for 3-4 minutes. 
Add the butter, marmite and stock and turn the heat up high.
Within a couple of minutes all will have reduced to a thickened sauce. 
Serve over some creamed potatoes and eat straight away.