Readings of Blake and Millligan to the accompaniment of glasses of Bolly and the most delectable imaginable tiny cottage pies, "shots" of lobster and egg, and the most perfect lemon goujons. Where but London's only privately owned and run 5* The Goring that delights in the quirky and whimsical spliced with opulence would you find the owner Jeremy Goring and the ebullient Managing Director David Morgan Hewitt most eloquently reciting in a private dress rehearsal in readiness for a month of "Rhyme with Reason" each evening in April. at 7pm The bar's surroundings are suitably lavish courtesy of designer Tim Gosling: hand-sprayed red lacquer walls and a daring tiger rug and a roaring fire. I love the idea that through April poems will relate to special events which happened around that day for example "The Elephant by Hillaire Beloc to mark the arrival in April 1796 of the first elephant ever seen in the USA from India.
www.thegoring.com
Friday, 27 February 2009
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Why Sourdough Pizza at Franca Manca is the Definitive Pizza in London
Why Sourdough Pizza at Franca Manca is the Definitive Modern Pizza
How high can expectations of pizza be? Sky-high when it comes to Franca Manca whose name is ushered in revered tones as setting new heights of pizza perfection in London and whose queues are legendary. Actually, they're unlikely to be more than 15 minutes even over a busy half-term but the queuing certainly gets those gastric juices on full alert and offers time to take in the myriad attractions of Brixton Market Row arcade, including plenty of Caribbean vegetables rarely seen elsewhere. What makes Franca Manca special are the bases made from a slow-rising (20 hour) sourdough and the pizzas are baked in one of two hive-shaped wood-burning Napolitan brick oven with a heat of about 500C resulting in fantastic crisp toothsome edges (cornicione) and just the right kind of balance of
baked and doughy for a really appetite quenching, eating with hands obligatory lunch. Toppings are all organic and deliberately simple yet superbly gutsy and bursting 
with ripe flavour: Napolitana is £4.80, the most expensive pizza with capers, olives, anchovies or chorizo still under £6.00. Try the fabulous homemade lemonade too. The only possible extra accompaniments are an organic seasonal salad and Monmouth Organic Espresso. Turnover of tables is fast as seating is mostly in the somewhat chilly glass-covered arcade itself and it's hard to ignore the longing looks of those in the queue still to get their Franca Manca fix.
Unit 4 Market Row, Brixton, London SW9 8LD 020 7738 3021
How high can expectations of pizza be? Sky-high when it comes to Franca Manca whose name is ushered in revered tones as setting new heights of pizza perfection in London and whose queues are legendary. Actually, they're unlikely to be more than 15 minutes even over a busy half-term but the queuing certainly gets those gastric juices on full alert and offers time to take in the myriad attractions of Brixton Market Row arcade, including plenty of Caribbean vegetables rarely seen elsewhere. What makes Franca Manca special are the bases made from a slow-rising (20 hour) sourdough and the pizzas are baked in one of two hive-shaped wood-burning Napolitan brick oven with a heat of about 500C resulting in fantastic crisp toothsome edges (cornicione) and just the right kind of balance of
baked and doughy for a really appetite quenching, eating with hands obligatory lunch. Toppings are all organic and deliberately simple yet superbly gutsy and bursting 
with ripe flavour: Napolitana is £4.80, the most expensive pizza with capers, olives, anchovies or chorizo still under £6.00. Try the fabulous homemade lemonade too. The only possible extra accompaniments are an organic seasonal salad and Monmouth Organic Espresso. Turnover of tables is fast as seating is mostly in the somewhat chilly glass-covered arcade itself and it's hard to ignore the longing looks of those in the queue still to get their Franca Manca fix.Unit 4 Market Row, Brixton, London SW9 8LD 020 7738 3021
Planet Jamie arrives in Clapham Junction with Recipease
So famous he needs no surname, Jamie Inc is one of the few good news stories on the High Street. His latest addition on my home territory has an enticing, if misleading bright pink interior and is a kind of luxe, rustic kitchen prep concept already apparently popular in the States and maybe a credit-crunching midway between dining out and cooking at home, with the shopping for ingredients, more time-consuming prep – from tomato sauce to meatballs and mash done for you – and bliss no washing up .
The interior is gorgeous, lots of oak fittings, abundant gorgeous ingredients, plenty of tempting tableware and Jamie food lines from chutneys, spiced nuts and jams to wines. It’s also impressive that almost all the staff have been recruited locally and the whole vibe is adamantly about appealing to the needs of the immediate community.
For a confident cook like myself, it felt slightly ridiculous to be layering up a
fish pie. However, I was greatly impressed by the impeccably sourced ingredients that went into it and thought it typically Jamie in the best possible sense to add a cheeky layer of spinach, tomato passata and garlic mushrooms to sneak in some extra veg. Personally, as a purist I might have simply added tomato as the pre-cooked spinach tasted mildly metallic. The hard-boiled eggs were an ingredient too far – fine in kedgeree, but superfluous to fish pie. The results were good on flavour but its texture was disappointingly sloppy and floppy.
I also assembled a South Indian prawn curry. Again fab ingredients including tamarind paste, coconut, ready chopped chilli, pots of fresh coriander to plunder and it merely needed finishing in a pan at home. This was the most impressive dish, full-on piquant flavour with plenty of depth and a combination, I wouldn’t so readily be able to pull together at home.
Theo, my 13 year old son, enjoyed assembling his pizza. Ag
ain full marks for proper buffalo mozzarella and it was handy to have on greaseproof paper ready to slide into the oven at home. However, as pizza enthusiasts, who do summon the effort to make pizza from scratch sometimes, we found the pizza rather under-whelming and a bit too biscuity on the crust. Still Theo would definitely return for a laugh and good meeting place with his friends. I’m intrigued too to try the tiramisu, will find it hard to resist the outrageously good Chelsea Buns from Jamie’s bakers and think the more in-depth knife skills and classes with local businesses such as Dove’s the butchers sound great.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipease/index.html
The interior is gorgeous, lots of oak fittings, abundant gorgeous ingredients, plenty of tempting tableware and Jamie food lines from chutneys, spiced nuts and jams to wines. It’s also impressive that almost all the staff have been recruited locally and the whole vibe is adamantly about appealing to the needs of the immediate community.
For a confident cook like myself, it felt slightly ridiculous to be layering up a
fish pie. However, I was greatly impressed by the impeccably sourced ingredients that went into it and thought it typically Jamie in the best possible sense to add a cheeky layer of spinach, tomato passata and garlic mushrooms to sneak in some extra veg. Personally, as a purist I might have simply added tomato as the pre-cooked spinach tasted mildly metallic. The hard-boiled eggs were an ingredient too far – fine in kedgeree, but superfluous to fish pie. The results were good on flavour but its texture was disappointingly sloppy and floppy.I also assembled a South Indian prawn curry. Again fab ingredients including tamarind paste, coconut, ready chopped chilli, pots of fresh coriander to plunder and it merely needed finishing in a pan at home. This was the most impressive dish, full-on piquant flavour with plenty of depth and a combination, I wouldn’t so readily be able to pull together at home.
Theo, my 13 year old son, enjoyed assembling his pizza. Ag
ain full marks for proper buffalo mozzarella and it was handy to have on greaseproof paper ready to slide into the oven at home. However, as pizza enthusiasts, who do summon the effort to make pizza from scratch sometimes, we found the pizza rather under-whelming and a bit too biscuity on the crust. Still Theo would definitely return for a laugh and good meeting place with his friends. I’m intrigued too to try the tiramisu, will find it hard to resist the outrageously good Chelsea Buns from Jamie’s bakers and think the more in-depth knife skills and classes with local businesses such as Dove’s the butchers sound great.http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipease/index.html
Thursday, 19 February 2009
OPENING OF LONDON’s FIRST IBERICO HAM HOUSE – COULD IBERICO BE THE NEW BLACK (TRUFFLE)?
The Spanish call it “the acorn tree on legs” and apparently the current King of Spain gets through 100 Sanchez Romero Carvajal iberico hams at £1500 a leg a year. Yet compared to a penchant for truffles, it’s a relatively inexpensive delicacy – spoils from the latest truffle harvest were retailing for up to £2500 a kilo whilst iberico is around £195 a kilo. Who said credit crunch values weren’t relative? For my money, proper iberico bellota is arguably more deliciously satisfying. There’s something utterly irresistible about its complex nutty fat and silky sheen texture, its long, long umami rich mouth feel almost akin to a good tannin rich pinot noir and the fact its most pleasurably eaten, sliced ultra thin, utterly unadorned, with the fingers.
The people of Sanchez Romero Carvajal, part of the Groupo Osbourne (and yes it is an English name, the first Sir Thomas Osbourn left Devon for Cadiz at the end of the 18c initially in pursuit of a sherry fortune) are, I think rightly, convinced that the UK is ripe to appreciate iberico and have opened the UK’s first 5J Iberico Ham House within Harrod’s Food Hall. It’s easy enough to acquire a taste for the stuff, but it does have a lot of imposters. Often hams are vaguely referred to as pata negra or bellota (which translates as oak tree acorn) and passed off as true iberico, but it’s best to scrutinise the label for certainty and the true iberico hog should veritably glisten with amber fat. Definitive Iberico has two pure breed parents, feeds exclusively on up to 12kg of acorns per day (12 kg acorns translates an extra 1 kilo of meat on the pig) for its last 90 days until it reaches around 18 months of age and roams free across approx 2 hectares of plane oak pastures (dehesa) only in the Jabugo district of Andalusia. Hence, its limited supply. The hams are brined in sea-salt for approximately 21 days and hung in cellars for 24-30 months.
Although, Iberico seems an exceptionally decadent treat, chef José Luis Rodriguez of Michelin starred restaurant Bohio in Toledo who’s created the menu for the Harrod’s Iberico Ham House, explains that it fulfils the Mediterranean paradox ie is low in cholesterol as the fat is concentrated in good omega 3 fatty acids and has only 190 calories in every 100g.
Besides serving the dry cured Iberian ham in its pristine sliced form (from £17.65 a plate, £4.50 for a tapa), perfect with accompanied by a dry fino, Rodriguez
has devised a fine range of dishes incorporating iberico. These include sensational, light croquetas (£13.00) - and on a par with the best I’ve ever experienced at Francis Paniego’s restaurant Echaurren in Ezcaray the Rioja region), and a carpaccio of top side with roasted pine nuts, salad leaves, chorizo, dried apricots and a reduction of honey and soy (£12.50). They also serve Iberico cooked, increasingly popular in Spain and beyond: Sanchez Romero Carvajal supply The Fat Duck, The Dorchester and Cambio de Tercio too. I tasted the sought after presa for the first time, the top side behind the shoulder of the iberico marinated in sweet paprika and served rare with baby, green Almagro aubergines (£15.00). I liked too a refreshing dessert of ewe cheese ice-cream, apple granita and honey.
www.cincojotas.com
Although, Iberico seems an exceptionally decadent treat, chef José Luis Rodriguez of Michelin starred restaurant Bohio in Toledo who’s created the menu for the Harrod’s Iberico Ham House, explains that it fulfils the Mediterranean paradox ie is low in cholesterol as the fat is concentrated in good omega 3 fatty acids and has only 190 calories in every 100g.
Besides serving the dry cured Iberian ham in its pristine sliced form (from £17.65 a plate, £4.50 for a tapa), perfect with accompanied by a dry fino, Rodriguez
has devised a fine range of dishes incorporating iberico. These include sensational, light croquetas (£13.00) - and on a par with the best I’ve ever experienced at Francis Paniego’s restaurant Echaurren in Ezcaray the Rioja region), and a carpaccio of top side with roasted pine nuts, salad leaves, chorizo, dried apricots and a reduction of honey and soy (£12.50). They also serve Iberico cooked, increasingly popular in Spain and beyond: Sanchez Romero Carvajal supply The Fat Duck, The Dorchester and Cambio de Tercio too. I tasted the sought after presa for the first time, the top side behind the shoulder of the iberico marinated in sweet paprika and served rare with baby, green Almagro aubergines (£15.00). I liked too a refreshing dessert of ewe cheese ice-cream, apple granita and honey.Monday, 16 February 2009
Not what you expect from the decadent Sketch, but is this the best afternoon tea in London?
Sketch the daringly different, glam gastro/clubby joint venture of Pierre Gagnaire and Mourad Mazouz is not the first place to consider rocking up for afternoon tea, but I’d contend it serves the most delicately exquisite cakes in town, and the afternoon tea is generous and quirky too. It’s served in the Parlour, a somewhat louche and wacky mix of brocante sofas and lighting with unexpected flourishes and a great sense of theatricality. I love the cabinets displaying the cakes like jewels and the fold out armoire with drawers of tea and fold out shelves of champagne too. The tiered tea-stand has definite 3 Michelin star Gagnaire touches of brilliance and eccentricity. Smoked salmon is served in a finger brioche. Ham and mustard baguette is wrapped in a greaseproof paper cone. Scones are superlative, ultra light and tasty. But it’s the patisserie that really thrilled me and my god-daughter foodie-in-the-making Flossie: wondrously light chocolate delice, perfect tiny lemon and blood orange tarts especially and a skewer of caramelised pinepple. I’d advise supplementing one afternoon tea between two with a couple of the special selection cakes which push the patisserie boundaries: an apple and calvados almost jelly like confection with caramelised pecans and a tarte fine base was especially wonderful.You must look at their wildly bonkers website - www.sketch.uk.com
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Why 1000 + KM is not to far for dinner at El Celler con Roca
The decadence of travelling 1000+ km for dinner proved irresistible when Ryanair really did offer some exceptional bargain fares to Girona. I’d long harboured a desire to visit Ell Celler Con Roca having heard the three brothers Roca Joan (head chef), Jordi (desserts) and Josep (wine) talk inspirationally and poetically at both Madrid Fusion and Identita Golose (see separate “what happens at culinary conferences” posts for reports from this year’s vanguard conferences shortly) about their food that is inspired by emotions, childhood memories, scents and the Catalan landscape . It’s the quintessential expression of techno-emotional cuisine, now the preferred term among avant garde chefs in place of the much maligned molecular gastronomy.
The restaurant itself is breathtakingly beautiful despite being in the suburbs of Girona – low-slung, ultra contemporary, elegant with black slate floors, oak slatted ceiling and huge glass walls to an internal courtyard of young maples. It has beautiful light, plenty of space between tables and the serene feel of a Japanese pavilion.
The sense of a real culinary adventure is apparent from the first “snacks” exquisitely and surprisingly presented: including sensational black sesame crisps, a divine, intense, glossy pigeon and (amusingly) Bristol Cream Sherry savoury “bon bon” made with nuts, truffle, cocoa, a sferification of clam and exceptionally tasty sweet-sour caramelised olives.
It seemed crazy not to indulge in the full sensorial Feast experience of multi-course “tapa” with matching wines after travelling so far. It’s rare for me to be so impressed, but almost every dish was sensational. Highlights from the 12 dishes are hard to pick at such a flawless level of culinary excellence. However, among my most enjoyable dishes were:
cauliflower with sea-urchin and orange with an incredible, subtle yet powerful evocation of the ocean (Im Sonnenchein 05 Pfalz) ;
razor clams within tiny macaroni, intriguing, clever, with a most delicate pesto (Herrenberg 98 Mosel-Saar-Ruwar);
“virtual” chablis a mesmerising dish created to reflect the terroir of the wine with oysters, apples, and “capsules” of a distillation of “earth” and chablis with an exquisite warm soup of fennel and oysters (Grand Regnard 06 A. O.C. Bourgogna);
the extreme indulgence of what is called a “caviar omelette” but is more like a crepe but somehow sealed with an ephemeral creamy, eggy filling and masses of caviar (Sadi Malot Blanc de Blancs A.O.C. Champagne);
- When I returned the next day to interview Josep Roca, teasingly, he refused to be drawn on details of what is one of their latest techniques. Though, he proudly showed me the kitchen and all the equipment they’ve invented including the Roner water-bath for sous-vide cooking, an outrageous contraption for spun sugar rather like a candy floss (essential for caramelised olives and many of the most creative desserts) and distillation equipment for extracting aromas.
Back to the menu
King prawns fleetingly cooked in a traditional charcoal oven with king prawn earth aromas: an almost chalky powder made from an extraction of confit of prawn heads mixed with malodextrin to “texturise” and resemble a “sand” (Vina Tondonia Blanc 73 D.O.C. Ca Rioja);
Winter truffle souffle : sublime made with a distilled essence of truffle and egg white taking souffles, which I adore, to a whole new level of ethereal taste (Nelin 05 D.O.Qa Priorat);
A more traditional Catalan dish, albeit prepared sous-vide, though importantly with the requisite crispy crackling: Sierra Mayor Iberian suckling pig, baby onions, orange and clove (Ino Masia Serra D.O. Emporda).
Desserts didn’t quite wow to same extent though I couldn’t fault the foie gras nougat or the all white vanilla dish creatively served with Oremus Tokaji. However, I’m longing to return to try the mojito and cigar dessert on the a la carte menu. Despite not ordering coffee, a full box of impeccable mignardaise arrived, testament to impeccable, attentive service throughout.
When I returned the next day to talk to Josep Roca the whole restaurant was bathed in extraordinary sunlight and looked even more beautiful. What’s more I was treated to a personal tour of the awesome wine cellar. Josep has devised a sensory journey to bring the terroirs alive from Champagne to Bourgogne: each has images of the area, its own evocative music from Mozart’s Minuet to S Saens Carnival of tbe Animal : and something tactile to evoke the area: in the Riesling (Josep is passionate about German wines) there’s lime green silk in a granite bowl, whilst in the local Catalan Priorat grape area there is a chunk of limestone to bash against aromatic maquis within a huge wooden bowl.
In all, dining at El Celler con Roca was a sublime dining experience: highly technical and innovative, complex, but not at the expense of deliciousness.
Memorably worth travelling 1000+ miles for.
www.elcellerconroca.es
The restaurant itself is breathtakingly beautiful despite being in the suburbs of Girona – low-slung, ultra contemporary, elegant with black slate floors, oak slatted ceiling and huge glass walls to an internal courtyard of young maples. It has beautiful light, plenty of space between tables and the serene feel of a Japanese pavilion.
The sense of a real culinary adventure is apparent from the first “snacks” exquisitely and surprisingly presented: including sensational black sesame crisps, a divine, intense, glossy pigeon and (amusingly) Bristol Cream Sherry savoury “bon bon” made with nuts, truffle, cocoa, a sferification of clam and exceptionally tasty sweet-sour caramelised olives.
It seemed crazy not to indulge in the full sensorial Feast experience of multi-course “tapa” with matching wines after travelling so far. It’s rare for me to be so impressed, but almost every dish was sensational. Highlights from the 12 dishes are hard to pick at such a flawless level of culinary excellence. However, among my most enjoyable dishes were:
cauliflower with sea-urchin and orange with an incredible, subtle yet powerful evocation of the ocean (Im Sonnenchein 05 Pfalz) ;
razor clams within tiny macaroni, intriguing, clever, with a most delicate pesto (Herrenberg 98 Mosel-Saar-Ruwar);
“virtual” chablis a mesmerising dish created to reflect the terroir of the wine with oysters, apples, and “capsules” of a distillation of “earth” and chablis with an exquisite warm soup of fennel and oysters (Grand Regnard 06 A. O.C. Bourgogna);
the extreme indulgence of what is called a “caviar omelette” but is more like a crepe but somehow sealed with an ephemeral creamy, eggy filling and masses of caviar (Sadi Malot Blanc de Blancs A.O.C. Champagne);
- When I returned the next day to interview Josep Roca, teasingly, he refused to be drawn on details of what is one of their latest techniques. Though, he proudly showed me the kitchen and all the equipment they’ve invented including the Roner water-bath for sous-vide cooking, an outrageous contraption for spun sugar rather like a candy floss (essential for caramelised olives and many of the most creative desserts) and distillation equipment for extracting aromas.
Back to the menu
King prawns fleetingly cooked in a traditional charcoal oven with king prawn earth aromas: an almost chalky powder made from an extraction of confit of prawn heads mixed with malodextrin to “texturise” and resemble a “sand” (Vina Tondonia Blanc 73 D.O.C. Ca Rioja);
Winter truffle souffle : sublime made with a distilled essence of truffle and egg white taking souffles, which I adore, to a whole new level of ethereal taste (Nelin 05 D.O.Qa Priorat);
A more traditional Catalan dish, albeit prepared sous-vide, though importantly with the requisite crispy crackling: Sierra Mayor Iberian suckling pig, baby onions, orange and clove (Ino Masia Serra D.O. Emporda).
Desserts didn’t quite wow to same extent though I couldn’t fault the foie gras nougat or the all white vanilla dish creatively served with Oremus Tokaji. However, I’m longing to return to try the mojito and cigar dessert on the a la carte menu. Despite not ordering coffee, a full box of impeccable mignardaise arrived, testament to impeccable, attentive service throughout.
When I returned the next day to talk to Josep Roca the whole restaurant was bathed in extraordinary sunlight and looked even more beautiful. What’s more I was treated to a personal tour of the awesome wine cellar. Josep has devised a sensory journey to bring the terroirs alive from Champagne to Bourgogne: each has images of the area, its own evocative music from Mozart’s Minuet to S Saens Carnival of tbe Animal : and something tactile to evoke the area: in the Riesling (Josep is passionate about German wines) there’s lime green silk in a granite bowl, whilst in the local Catalan Priorat grape area there is a chunk of limestone to bash against aromatic maquis within a huge wooden bowl.
In all, dining at El Celler con Roca was a sublime dining experience: highly technical and innovative, complex, but not at the expense of deliciousness.
Memorably worth travelling 1000+ miles for.
www.elcellerconroca.es
Thursday, 12 February 2009
THE FIRST BRITISH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA GETS OFF TO A RACY START
THE FIRST BRITISH FRESH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA GETS OFF TO A RACY START
Only a former racing driver used to testing himself (and his Ferrari) to the limit would come up with such a crazy notion as producing proper buffalo mozaarella in the UK. Jody Scheckter, Formula One World Champion turned uncompromising organic/biodynamic farmer whose long cherished a deep passion for Italian food and already farmed Asian water buffalo, embarked on his mission impossible two years ago. Yesterday, he unveiled the first serious buffalo mozzarella to be produced in the UK in the gorgeous glam surroundings of L’Anima, currently the best and most glam Italian restaurant in London and I was most impressed. The unpasturised buffalo mozzarella had an ultra fresh slightly herbaceous, hay flavour and very different more “nervy” firmer texture than I was used to experiencing in the UK, even when I’d thought I was tasting ultra fresh mozzarella. It turns out that what I’d thought was the best and freshest: milky, somewhat floppy mozzarella distended from its skin should sound alarm triggers in my tastebuds as it is well past its best and the extreme milkiness is the gradual build-up of bacteria. I also learnt that buffalo mozzarella should never be eaten fridge cold, it’s at its optimum served room temperature to bring out its flavour and natural sweetness. What’s more it needs no accompaniment besides a drizzle of the best extra virgin olive oil you can lay your hands on and a few choice leaves. Says Francesco Mazzei, head chef of L’Anima “I would only tomatoes and basil if the buffalo mozzarella is 3 or 4 days old. It’s best practically naked.”
This properly zingy mozzarella has a tangible burst of freshness and a little milk literally oozes out. I like the fact that Southern Italian say that if you don’t have a good dribble down your chin, you are not eating proper mozzarella!
Already chefs including the ever wonderfully passionate Raymond Blanc have given Laverstoke Park’s buffalo mozzarella the thumbs up. As Blanc said over a tasting, characteristically forthright “It takes balls to introduce an English mozzarella!” Scheckter retorted quicker than one of his best photo finishes: “If McLaren can beat Ferrari I can beat the Italians at mozzarella. “ Also Eric Chavot at The Capital, The Fifth Floor at Harvey Nichols and The Vineyard at Stockcross. Morever, an even greater vote of confidence, besides L’Anima, Claudio Pulze’s Italian restaurants Via Condotti, Al Duca and his newest Tuscan Osteria Dell’Angelo which I am longing to try, are all going to serve British mozzarella, quite an accolade among ultra patriotic Italians. Buy it too at Neal’s Yard Dairy, La Fromagerie, Harvey Nichols among others.
www.laverstokepark.co.uk
Only a former racing driver used to testing himself (and his Ferrari) to the limit would come up with such a crazy notion as producing proper buffalo mozaarella in the UK. Jody Scheckter, Formula One World Champion turned uncompromising organic/biodynamic farmer whose long cherished a deep passion for Italian food and already farmed Asian water buffalo, embarked on his mission impossible two years ago. Yesterday, he unveiled the first serious buffalo mozzarella to be produced in the UK in the gorgeous glam surroundings of L’Anima, currently the best and most glam Italian restaurant in London and I was most impressed. The unpasturised buffalo mozzarella had an ultra fresh slightly herbaceous, hay flavour and very different more “nervy” firmer texture than I was used to experiencing in the UK, even when I’d thought I was tasting ultra fresh mozzarella. It turns out that what I’d thought was the best and freshest: milky, somewhat floppy mozzarella distended from its skin should sound alarm triggers in my tastebuds as it is well past its best and the extreme milkiness is the gradual build-up of bacteria. I also learnt that buffalo mozzarella should never be eaten fridge cold, it’s at its optimum served room temperature to bring out its flavour and natural sweetness. What’s more it needs no accompaniment besides a drizzle of the best extra virgin olive oil you can lay your hands on and a few choice leaves. Says Francesco Mazzei, head chef of L’Anima “I would only tomatoes and basil if the buffalo mozzarella is 3 or 4 days old. It’s best practically naked.”
This properly zingy mozzarella has a tangible burst of freshness and a little milk literally oozes out. I like the fact that Southern Italian say that if you don’t have a good dribble down your chin, you are not eating proper mozzarella!
Already chefs including the ever wonderfully passionate Raymond Blanc have given Laverstoke Park’s buffalo mozzarella the thumbs up. As Blanc said over a tasting, characteristically forthright “It takes balls to introduce an English mozzarella!” Scheckter retorted quicker than one of his best photo finishes: “If McLaren can beat Ferrari I can beat the Italians at mozzarella. “ Also Eric Chavot at The Capital, The Fifth Floor at Harvey Nichols and The Vineyard at Stockcross. Morever, an even greater vote of confidence, besides L’Anima, Claudio Pulze’s Italian restaurants Via Condotti, Al Duca and his newest Tuscan Osteria Dell’Angelo which I am longing to try, are all going to serve British mozzarella, quite an accolade among ultra patriotic Italians. Buy it too at Neal’s Yard Dairy, La Fromagerie, Harvey Nichols among others.
www.laverstokepark.co.uk
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