The Atlanta Food and Wine Festival comes to London

I was recently invited to experience southern American cuisine at an event hosted by the US Embassy in London to promote the upcoming Atlanta Food and Wine Festival. The large and enthusiastic crowd got the chance to fight over sample some Southern specialities prepared by several notable chefs who'd been flown over specially. 

I particularly enjoyed Kelly English's crudo of scallop and malt vinegar and Ashley Christensen's cornmeal-fried Carolina catfish with pickled collard remoulade. My glass of Virginian Viognier was a tasty and appropriate partner. Josh Besh's peppered beef tenderloin, fingerling potato ravigote and wild mushroom tea was also good, as was Duane Nutter's sausages with creole mash with creole cabbage.

Drink-wise, as well as Virginian wines, Sazerac cocktails were also served made with rye whiskey, Peychaud's bitters and the distinctive Legendre Herbsaint – a pastis named after the French/Creole term for wormwood. It was originally labelled Absinthe (traditionally used in this cocktail), but in the 1930s the US authorities objected to Legendre's use of the word and the company had to revise the name. I haven't yet been to this part of the States, but I can only imagine how good it must taste in the hot and sticky deep South. Anyway, if I can get my hands on a bottle of Herbsaint, I'd be happy to give it a go in north London on a warm summer evening with some Bessie Smith playing in the background. For now it'll the closest I'll be getting to New Orleans.

The Goods Shed, Canterbury

Heading to the Kent coast for Easter, we stopped off at The Goods Shed in Canterbury for lunch and, as we were self-catering, to stock up on some food. The Goods Shed, situated next to Canterbury West station (and helpfully the high speed link to St Pancras), is a comprehensive farmers market featuring an array of local produce. It also houses Clive Barlow MW's Press Wine Services and beer specialist, The Bottle Shop. As it was Easter, there was also an eye-catching and groovy selection from local chocolate maker Kate-Beth March, but there were goodies at every turn. We stocked up on local vegetables and some excellent steak, and on our return journey picked up some beautifully fresh fish for supper back home in London.

You can also eat well at The Goods Shed Restaurant or at Patrick's Kitchen where we had our lunch, encouraging us to buy our drinks elsewhere to bring back to the table. All very communal. A generous glass of Cherverny for just £3 (from Press Wine Services) was delicious with my fish soup and its gutsy rouille sauce (plenty of garlic and saffron). And it was here that daughter Alice discovered her favourite Kentish tipple, Biddenden pear juice. Apparently, only food available at The Goods Shed is cooked here. Forget disappointing department store food halls, this is what food shopping should be all about and makes Canterbury and this corner of Kent an even more tempting day trip from London.

The Goods Shed
Station Road West
Canterbury
CT2 8AN
01227 459153
Open Tuesday to Saturday 9am–7pm; Sunday 10am–4pm

Chouchoute and Lindt: more chocolatey fun in Birmingham

In Birmingham recently, after visiting Cadbury World on our first day, our trip unexpectedly continued its chocolatey theme on the second day. While we were exploring Birmingham we came across the Lindt Easter egg hunt which sent us on an interesting tour of the city centre, with some eye-catching things to look out for and some yummy Lindt freebies thrown in. Result!

What delighted me, though, while looking out for the large decorated eggs, was spotting a little gem of a chocolate shop, Chouchoute, in Great Western Arcade close to the cathedral. Owner, Pierre Soualah trained as a traiteur at Fauchon in Paris and Selfridges in London and produces glamorous handmade chocolates with a fine, silky texture and fresh flavours that really build on the palate. I particularly liked the 'palet menthe' and 'palet bergamot' ganaches. His cerisettes and orangettes were also rather special. After the disappointment of Selfridges food hall in the Bullring, this was a really welcome discovery.

Chouchoute
40 Great Western Arcade
Birmingham
B2 5RH
Tel 0121 233 1300

Bournville and Cadbury World

I've grown up with Cadbury's and, although they don't produce my favourite chocolate, the brand does have quite an emotional effect on me. I recently read Deborah Cadbury's revealing book The Chocolate Wars about the history of the chocolate industry and the key families involved who were in many cases Quakers (eg Rowntree, Fry, Hershey, as well as Cadbury) and committed to social welfare. The harsh irony of Kraft's takeover of Cadbury in 2010 is not lost in the book which is a fascinating read. The Cadburys, like several other powerful Victorian industrialists built model villages for their workers with the aim of improving their living conditions (think of William Lever's Port Sunlight and Titus Salt's Saltaire near Bradford) and they're attractive places to visit, particularly, if like me, you're interested in social history.

During the February half term 6 year old daughter Alice and I headed to Bournville and Cadbury World by train with an old friend and her son. We had to change at Birmingham New Street for a local train to Bournville – a bit chaotic, but once on the second train we were at our destination in a few minutes. In contrast to central Birmingham, Bournville has a sedate tranquility, and the walk from the station to Cadbury World took us past the company's offices and recreation ground (with cute half timbered pavilion). It was like strolling through a university campus.

On reaching the Cadbury World visitor centre our children were able to let off steam outside in the large play area while we waited for our admission slot. The staff could not have been more friendly or helpful, explaining what to expect from your visit. Once inside, the tour explains where chocolate comes from, how chocolate and the individual products are made, as well as outlining the history of Cadbury's. It's a multi-media experience, using some high-tec devises, as well as actors physically bringing things to life. As well as it being a visitor facility, you do often see some real action as a large area within the factory is covered in the tour, although on our visit, things were a bit quiet as they were between packaging runs (but we did see some great quirky special orders awaiting collection – see the chocolate teapot below). However, there is something to appeal to children of all ages and the crowds are effectively managed throughout the tour, reducing queuing times. They hand out a lot of chocolate, too, as well as give you the chance to stock up in the shop at the end of the tour. Thankfully my daughter doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, so we've still got some complimentary Crunchy Bars and Curly Wurlies squirrelled away.

It's quite a full visit and, after three hours or so, our friends dashed off to catch the return train to London. However, Alice and I were staying overnight in Birmingham so had time to take a look at Bournville village as the sun was going down. It's a distinctively pretty place with the kind of utopian 'garden city' feel that you might expect (and quite photogenic) and offers a timely reminder of the Quaker approach to business. Cadbury might not make the best chocolate, but it's a great story.

Family ticket: £45.80 (two adults and two children)
http://www.cadbury.co.uk/

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught

I'd been a bit undecided about this restaurant as the reviews had been so varied. Anyhow, we decided to give the set lunch at Hélène Darroze at the Connaught a go for my brother's birthday earlier this month. The £42 deal includes a couple of glasses of (pretty decent) wine but, once you've added water and coffee, you're looking at at least another £10 per head.

Anyway, that said, our lunch had some memorable highlights and we were happy to relish this level of Mayfair luxury and slick service on a grim late winter day. 

The highlight for me, as I just love eggs was my rather inspired starter: Jerusalem artichoke with egg yolk, roasted veal sweetbread, hedgehog mushrooms and Parmigiano Reggiano foam. The egg yolk worked beautifully as an additional sauce. Chablis 2011 from Tremblay, poised and fresh, was an easy-going and versatile partner. As it's almost Easter, here are some pictures of this eggy corner of heaven... 

We also loved the little platters of Bayonne ham served with bread soon after we sat down, which helped make up for the rather small main courses, as did the generous selection of chocolates and goody bags at the end of the meal. Other nice touches were the the Champagne rhubarb and radish pickle served with the starter of chicken rillettes with foie gras, and the cheese course – three cheeses served with individually matched relishes. My petite main course of braised Aberdeen Angus beef cheek in Madiran included kumquat for a tropically tangy lift and was lovely with some Abstemes S'Abstemir 2008 (Maisonneuve-Cosse)  – a gutsy Gamay from France's Cahors region (produced naturally I believe). 

There's some tough competition out there at this level, but, despite Ms Darroze having been retained in Paris by the snowy conditions, the kitchen performed well in her absence. (The mains were a bit mean though.)

Selfridges food hall Birmingham: a waste of (lovely) space

As you might have guessed already, I love food shopping, so, on a recent trip to Birmingham I was keen to have a nose around the glammed up Bullring shopping centre, especially the Future Systems-designed Selfridges. It was quite a stunning store and had the usual glamorous Selfridges feel, but I was mightily disappointed by the food hall. It has a great sense of space, but there didn't seem to be much in it apart from restaurant concessions, a perfectly decent deli counter and an overly blingy drinks department (lots of glitzy fizz). And I couldn't believe how many sweets there were.

Perhaps in the current climate people are just buying gift items in this environment, but it felt like a missed opportunity and a waste of rather lovely space. If you've been, I'd love to hear what you think.