Blackberry Jam Recipe

Blackberry jam.  Don’t the very words just make you think of open fires and wood smoke, Christmas and snow?  I’ve had enough of this faux, drippy extended half-Indian summer– I like my seasons to be more definite: if it’s summer it should be hot so I can have a BBQ; if it’s Autumn it should be chilly so I can wear a faux fur and bake pies.  And make jam.  In a way my jam making is a kind of autumnal offering to whoever might be ‘up there’ in return for those cold, crisp mornings when you can sit inside with tea and toast and a dose of Eamon Holmes buffooning around on This Morning.  I’m sending out jammy signals to the Mother Earth – send me some frosty mornings and dark nights; I need an excuse to buy some new boots.

Blackberry Jam

Makes around 2 Kilner jars full

600g blackberries
600g caster sugar
A teaspoon of butter (NOT margarine)

Wash your blackberries and take out the little leaves and stem things – these can make jam eating a very unpleasant experience.  Put them in a sturdy pan, preferable non-stick, heavy based or a ‘jam pan’ if you have one.

Add 30ml of water to the pan and around a tablespoon of lemon juice, plus an extra squeeze.  Bring everything to the boil and then lower the temperature so the fruit is simmering.  The fruit needs to simmer for around 20 minutes, until the berries are yield softly if you push them with a spoon.

On a low heat, add the sugar – try not to gasp at the amount of sugar that’s going in! – and then stir until dissolved.  Bring the jam back to the boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes, don’t stir.  Don’t go off and do something else at this stage as it can boil over and it’s a pain to clean up.

Jam setting point is 105C.  If you don’t have a thermometer then after 10 minutes tip the pan a little and the jam should have become thicker.  If it hasn’t then leave it for a few minutes more but beware – if you go past the setting point for jam then when it cools it will go solid!  If you start to smell a slight burned sugar smell then take it off the heat immediately.

Put your butter on a fork and skim it across the top of the pan to dissolve any scum then leave for 15 minutes to cool.  Pour into jars – any old jar will do but I like Kilner jars as they look pretty.

Serving suggestion: whip up some hot drop scones and eat with butter and the blackberry jam.

Machiavelli Covent Garden

Despite being a lover of food, sometimes trying to find something to eat during my lunch break, day in day out, makes me want to give up eating all together. I've had so many Eat soups I can name all the flavours. If I have another Itsu rice bowl I will turn into one. That's why when somewhere foodie and new opens, with more to offer than a dried out chicken salad sandwich, it is very exciting indeed.

So, Machiavelli in Covent Garden. Inspired by "enjoying a bottle of wine in a Tuscan courtyard," they specialize in importing fresh food from Italy to London.  If you go into the shop on Long Acre, you'll be lucky to escape without burning £20 on a bottle of olive oil - it's that kind of place. Given these prices, I wouldn't recommend coming here every day - we are in the middle of a recession after all. However, when your life feels a little grey and you need a touch of that Tuscan sunshine then spending £7 (approx) on a box of thinly slice, silky beef, with tongue-tingling Parmesan shavings and mouthwatering pesto, or a real salad nicoise with firmly boiled eggs, and crisp green beens, seems like a bit of an investment.

They also have the kind of cakes that look like they could change your life, as well as a selection of little chocolate and biscuit accompaniments to coffee.  I've had mixed experiences with the coffee.  The first one I had - a latte - was out of this world - so good, I didn't even need my usual ladle of sugar.  The second coffee wasn't so good, more like warm milk.  Despite this, I'd recommend a visit, especially if you are a lover of all things Italian and food, especially if your life needs a touch of Tuscan sun...


69 Long Acre
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 9JG

www.machiavellifood.co.uk

Roast - Borough Market

The first thing you need to know about Roast is that you get to ride up to the restaurant in a lift.  I know, big.  Then there’s the floor to ceiling windows with wonderful views out over Borough Market and the surrounding streets, that make for a real 'heart of London' kind of setting.  I took my family for brunch and  - maybe because sometimes we look a bit scruffy first thing in the morning – we were shown to one of those tables that seems to be in everyone’s way, right up close to a family having a domestic. I always resent restaurants that give you a crap table if you’re just a pleb, but I resent them less if they’re happy to move you if you ask.  We did ask and were transferred to a quiet corner table with those fabulous views, with very little fuss.

The atmosphere at Roast is just the right mix of pretentious and casual.  I like the fact that it feels like an occasion type place but is not so stuffy that you can’t get away with flipflops and bad table manners.  The service was charming, maybe a little slow at times but we were happy to forgive that once we’d got that nice table.

Food-wise, this is a restaurant that takes genuine care with its ingredients and aims to “bring a new level of energy to British cooking,” so it’s good.  The Full Borough sounded a bit overwhelming on the menu (streaky bacon, Roast recipe sausages, fried bread, Ramsay of Carluke black pudding, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, bubble ‘n’ squeak AND eggs), but it didn't last long on the plate.  The sausages were particularly flavourful and juicy and the Bubble a 'caff' kind of addition, which I liked.

It’s good value too - for this kind of restaurant - and at £15 pretty much the same price (and similar, if not more satisfying in terms of taste and quality) as an institution like The Wolsely.

The tattie scone (a potato cake) with smoked streaky bacon, field mushrooms and a fried egg (£9) was a slightly more modest option.  I am a black pudding fiend and not a mushroom fan - when I asked to swap the field mushroom for a slice of black pudding, they did it without even a frown and didn’t charge any extra for it.

Our party also ordered the Eggs Benedict (£6.50/£12) which was pretty as a picture with nicely runny eggs and a delicious Hollandaise.

If you’re more of a fish fan, I’d highly recommend the grilled Orkney kippers with lemon and butter (£5/£9) and for something sweet, pancakes with rhubarb jam and Welsh Village Dairy natural yoghurt (£7.50).

So does Roast still live up to the Good Food Guide 'Best breakfast in London' award it won in 2008?  I'd have to sample some of the other dishes to get down off the fence.  But I'd say it's definitely in my top ten.

Roast

The Floral Hall,
Stoney Street,
London
SE1 1TL

www.roast-restaurant.com

Tandis- Chalk Farm

I know a little about Persian food, but I was never going to make the right choices without some help.  Step forward, Other Half, who grew up eating Persian cuisine and knows his sabzi pollo maahi, from his shirini tar.

Tandis is tucked away on Haverstock Hill, a short walk from Chalk Farm or Belsize Park tubes.  It's got a starkly modern feel that I wasn't expecting - apparently a throw back to the restaurant that occupied the space before - but this actually gives the restaurant an enjoyably sleek feel.  They have a decent wine list - lots of scicilian wines, unusually - and I had a really nice, crisp glass of Chenin Blanc, while Other Half had a Peroni.  I'm a huge fan of cuisines where the starters involve warm bread and dipping so perusing this menu was exciting.

We ordered a basket of Persian bread (like a thin naan, almost crispy):

and I slathered this in a thick, velvety, Greek style yoghurt flavoured with wild garlic and drizzled with olive oil:

as well as ashke bademjaan - a smoky aubergine dish with fried onions, olive oil, walnuts, herbs and garlic served with whey:

and finally, (still on the starters here - keep up), Other Half's childhood favourite, salad oliviyeh, made from diced chicken, potatoes, eggs, pickled cucumber and green peas mixed in mayonnaise and olive oil:

All these individual dishes were around £3 - 4, which made them even more delicious.

I can never resist a proper kebab so I went for Kabab barge soltani (£12.90) for my main - a mix of lamb filet pieces and a minced lamb kebab. I liked it  - the meat was nice and well cooked - but I wasn't overwhelmed by it, it was a bit like holiday food, and it could have done with something yoghurty.  The rice it came with was deliciously fluffy and topped with saffron.  I think the Persian practice of putting butter on rice is something I'd do every day if I could live in a onesie.

Other Half had khoresh ghormeh sabzi - a stew of kidney beans and potatoes cooked with fresh herbs and sun-dried limes served with steamed rice - (£7.50) and RAVED about it:

At this stage in the meal I was satisfied, but not overwhelmed.  I was also extremely full, so you can appreciate the heroic effort it took to order some baklava (£3.50). The baklava was immense - one almondy piece, so gooey with honey I almost couldn't get it off the plate, the other a beautiful cardamom - flavoured bite that was so good I had to eat it in silence.

There's a lot to recommend about Tandis - especially if you live in the area and are looking for a bit of a neighbourhood hidden gem.  Our meal cost around £50 for two and I was unable to eat again for 24 hours afterwards, there was so much food.  One word of advice: leave room for the pudding.

Kopapa Covent Garden

Kopapa is for you if you like a proper coffee and more exotic brunch options than eggs Benedict or a fry up.  The restaurant is in Seven Dials in Covent Garden and very conveniently located for filling up on fine food before a spot of shopping.  Executive Chef and co-owner Peter Gordon was also involved in setting up The Providores and Tapa Room and there are some very similar dishes on the menu.  Which is certainly not a band thing.

Kopapa has more of a relaxed vibe than The Providores.  It’s unfussily decorated, but still looks stylish. It’s buzzy and it’s already very popular so it’s busy.  Best to book if you don’t like to wait (which you can do via the website).  I kicked off with a lovely latte (£2.80) that was smooth, fluffy on top and had a real kick:

Followed by a mixed juice of carrot, apple, beetroot, ginger and celery (£4.50):

And then chorizo hash with a fried egg, rocket, salsa verde and crispy shallots   (£7.40):

My only complaint about this dish was that I could have eaten twice as much.
A bowl of ‘Turkish eggs’ from Changa restaurant in Istanbul (2 poached eggs with whipped yoghurt and hot chili butter - £6.20) was also consumed at our table.

This dish is always a bit of a shock if you haven’t seen someone else have it first, but the smooth, creamy yoghurt, punchy chili oil and the soft eggs are so successful the dish is a signature at both Kopapa and The Providores.  They recommend you should order toast with the Turkish Eggs and I think you’d be disappointed if you didn’t.

If you’ve bought your really adventurous hat with you, try the goats curd, puy lentils, samphire and grilled baby gem with pomegranate dressing and hazelnuts  (£7.80) or for something more lunch-y, grilled sardine bruschetta with roast tomato, rocket & garlic confit  (£6.80).  If menus like this make you want to yell ‘I just want some bloody eggs and bacon!’ you’ll be pleased to hear that not everything is so experimental.  There’s hot-smoked salmon on toasted sourdough with spinach, 2 poached eggs and yuzu hollandaise (£10.50) and a traditional fry up that will far surpass even the best greasy spoon with tasty eggs, crispy smoked streaky bacon, sautéed buttered field mushrooms richly flavoured slow-roasted tomatoes  (£7.80)

www.kopapa.co.uk

32-34 Monmouth Street
Seven Dials London
WC2H 9HA
020 7240 6076

The Langham Hotel - Best Afternoon Tea in London?

Some people don't consider afternoon tea to be much of a meal. I disagree.  It's got all the components for a balanced feed - savoury, sweet and clotted cream - PLUS you can have seconds (sometimes even thirds) and a doggy bag is standard.

The Langham Hotel's Palm Court won the UK Tea Guild's award for Top London Afternoon Tea 2010 -'the OSCARS of the tea world' - so it's a serious contender for the best afternoon tea in London in anyone's book and if you're a virgin tea taker it's a good place to start.  [Note: If you should arrive and find there's a screaming kid in the Palm Court drowning out the lovely tinkly piano, I'd recommend a table in the sumptuous Artesian bar next door.  Same tea and the cocktail bar is closer.]

We all ordered the Wonderland Tea (£38) which comes with a selection of teas (Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Lapsang Souchong etc) or a glass of Laurent-Perrier NV (£50).  One of these cake stands serves two people:

Starting on the bottom with the sandwiches, I didn't enjoy the salmon crème fraÎche ones, they were a bit fishpastey, but the beef with horseradish were good, the egg and mustard cress rolls were really tasty, the chicken with honey mustard delicious and the cucumber, cream cheese and chives, simple but excellent.

Next up, two light, fluffy scones, one with raisins, one without. Top these with lashings of strawberry jam and clotted cream (refillable) and then you're ready for the main event - the cakes. I think this top plate is probably the reason The Langham won the UK Tea Guild award so leave room for at least a forkful of each cake or you'll bitterly regret it.  We had (each) a deeply delicious blackforest dome, rich Valrhona chocolate mousse (topped with a tiny mini macaroon), a wonderfully moist mini cup cake with pistachio icing, blackcurrant and hibiscus syllabub and a mini handmade lolly.  To be frank, the lolly looked fun but was a bit of a waste of time, but the rest....we were a party of gossiping girls and no one said a word as the first forkfuls of cake were consumed, there was only a reverential silence.  This is some serious patisserie.


Palm Court is open daily: 8.30 - 23:00

Afternoon tea seatings: 14:00, 14:30, 16.30 and 17.00
High tea: 17:00 - 18:30


www.palm-court.co.uk

The Providores & Tapa Room - Marylebone High Street

Brunch is one of my favourite things, possibly my favourite meal, and every undercooked egg and bowl of soggy granola feels makes me feel sad.  Serve me bacon with fat that's still white and chewy and I might just start sobbing.

I went to The Providores & Tapa Room on Marylebone High Street last weekend.  Everyone always raves about this place but I wanted to find out if this was genuine excitement or that London thing everyone does when a restaurant doesn't let you book so if you've managed to queue long enough to get to taste the food, you feel like a VIP.  The first wonderful thing I discovered about The Providores is that you CAN book.  This seems to be a recent change  - you can even book through their website now which you couldn't before. We did and so we were upstairs - same menu, same coffee but a quieter room with white tablecloths and room to breathe (downstairs is quite 'buzzy' - sometimes that's not what you need first thing in the morning).

This is one of their Tapa Room Fry Ups:

Grilled smoked streaky bacon, sautéed buttered field mushrooms and slow-roasted tomatoes with a choice of toast (granary or sourdough) and a choice of eggs (£8.80).  REALLY GOOD.  In the middle of the table you can see the the Roast Stornoway black-pudding (£4.20) which I could live off forever it's so crispily, juicily, perfectly-spiced (edly) beautiful.  Over the other side of the table you can just about see the Thai basil and lime waffles with tomato, sweetcorn, rocket and avocado salad and jalapeno chutney (£9.00).  The waffles were much lighter than the fry up, fresh and really tasty, fragrant in fact.  If I'd had any more room I would have had the brown rice, apple, maple syrup and miso porridge with tamarillo compote (£6.00) and their signature dish, the Turkish eggs from changa in Istanbul – two poached eggs with whipped yoghurt and hot chilli butter with sourdough or seeded granary toast (£8.90) - see below (image borrowed from www.starsandcloves.wordpress.com)

The Providores has a newly opened sister restaurant - Kopapa in Seven Dials and I also went there last weekend (what a pig).  It was so excellent I forgot to take pictures so I'll just have to go back.

www.theprovidores.co.uk