J.P. De Ronne and the Mystical Egg of Fate

 Fate is a bizarre old fish.

Some people place their whole life choices and paths inside its invisible hands. They toast their successes and place their misfortunes squarely on its infinitely broad shoulders.

Others refutably deny its existence alongside its cousins; Luck, Blind Faith and Hope. To those, the only person to congratulate or blame is the self.

Whatever the reality, I now have a new path to follow that has opened up due to certain actions having taken place.

A few weeks back, I received a batch of ‘exotic’ meats to play with in the kitchen on the Hill that got my culinary brain juices leaking and my hands turning the varying ingredients into quite a large, complex series of tasks, which has been briefly mentioned before on a previous post.

One such idea that burst into life was a take on the humble Scotch Egg. The premise was a simple one but with a series of ingredients that would hopefully give our diners a unique tasting experience without compromising the basic grounding or origin of the legendary bar snack.

The finished result was perfectly formed, and full of flavour and snapped up quicker than I could have imagined and began to tell about it on the social sites in conversation. At this point I was introduced to an event that was coming up at a Pub in Wandsworth where Public Houses, Restaurants, Individuals and even shops would be taking part in.

 Looking into it further, I realised that the date was one which I could not attend due to work loads and family commitments so I abandoned all thoughts towards competing with my newest addition to my repertoire.

However, closer to the date, whilst wishing all competitors the best of luck, I saw a tweet from the Host Public House postponing the event due to the terrible riots that were unfolding within London.

Once again, I placed the Scotch Egg Challenge to the back of my mind, focusing on the day to day running of my Kitchen which was feeding an average of two hundred diners each day, as well as the weddings every Saturday, additional functions and barbecue events throughout the weeks.

Finally, after  working for 16 full days in a row and spending the spare time I did have trying to fix the broken car with a friend, I managed to slow up a little and reinstate myself in the immersive world of Twitter to catch up with other people within my follow line. It was during this time that a message about the #scotcheggchallenge (as it is being bandied about) got re-tweeted into my timeline giving the new date of Tuesday, 20^th September.

Now, fate or no fate, I decided to check the family Calander that is hung in the Kitchen to check to see what would be happening on that specific day in the De Ronne household, as there is always  a club or party or get together or work related ‘thing’ occurring each day of the year it seems.

Empty.

I double checked the new Challenge date, holding the mobile phone alongside the Family organiser to ensure both details matched. And, to my pleasant surprise, they did. The day was unusually free of any tasks.

Not even a bill due to be paid that day.

And the rest, so far is History.

I have queried the proprietors of The Ship in Wandsworth with regards to eligibility, sent details and have now been officially accepted into the Challenge.

Which is getting really big.... frequently written about.....renamed by some as the World Championships.......and seemingly quite an important event in Britain’s Catering Calendar.

It may be just because of a series of random events, mixed with being in the right place at the right time. It may be this fate thing that many believe in, but both I and my special balls are going to challenge some true Scotch Egg Masters and Connoisseurs next month and I will enjoy every moment.

Wish me Luck!......If you believe in that kind of thing.

Food, The Social Medium

Food is food at the end of the day.

It is a means to keep our bodies in a condition in which to function.

But since the foodie revolution in the late 90's it has become much more here in the UK.

If you search on the internet you will find hundreds and thousands of people who are celebrating food in all manner of styles, types, locations and levels of sophistication. The rise of blogging from these people is staggering, as well as their presence on social sites such as Twitter.

It has had an impact in the UK catering trade, and in a good way on the whole. Chefs are now in need of finding new angles and styles, pushing boundaries and developing niches to suit and excite these outspoken diners.

There is also less room for error and definitely no room for bullsh** which gives way to a more clear and honest approach to what we do in a professional capacity. And I for one like this.

Foodies on the whole are everyday people from all walks of life who share a common interest in good food. Through the power of the internet they shout and rave about the great places they have dined, the amazing recipes they took a crack at, and the best markets, food festivals and local producers they have come across.

They are a multitude of critics, more powerful than the likes of the legendary Jay Rayner et al, primarily because these people are the every-man. Your neighbor, work colleague, friend.

In my current line of work within the trade, I constantly strive to bring fresh ideas to the business that suits the demands of our guests. The menus have changed frequently enough to reform into the type of foods that the paying clients want and highly enjoy. There is no self-centered ego contained within with cursed words claiming  Chef knows best. But there is passion in every dish created, cooked and served. Through listening  to the guests comments and conversations the food has become very traditional in style, resulting in quality Pub Fayre, but still done in a way that holds our audience in amazement and therefore ensures word of mouth and re-visits.

The most recent venture I tasked myself with was more of a challenge than previously expected, but is now coming into fruition.

Tapas is a well received style of food these days, associated with sunny days and warm evenings, bottles of wine shared between friends and the ultimate in social eating. I love the idea of a Tapa, and have been asked more times than I care to recall if I would consider doing one here. My response has always had to be in the negative as it does not reflect with the over-all style to the Public House. However, I am always up for a challenge so looked into alternative ideas. What eventually came to be took the best part of two months to construct, source, create and implement.

Due to the rise of amazing local specialty products I went on the hunt to find great food that would suit what I had in mind.

Through networking via social sites I began to find Artisan companies from around the West Country that oozed passion and the sense of small scale which was exactly what I was looking for. I found Handmade Scotch Eggs that were packed solid, full of flavour and most importantly, moist. Sausage Rolls hand made by a Butchers Wife that tasted out of this world. Melt in the mouth Hand raised Pork Pies (without gelatin). A cracking Artisan Meat company that makes (among other things) Beautiful Venison Salami, Air Dried Mutton and Cured Veal. An Old Farmers Wife who pickles Onions the way our Grandparents used to. A Fab tiny bakery with amazing old fashioned bread. And some of the most mind blowing cheeses you can imagine.

They all inspired me to go back to the roots of food, to remember simple snacks that I used to enjoy as a child. I ended up creating all sorts of recipes including Chicken wings, marinated in Orchard Apple Juice, Ground Almonds and Cinnamon, and Green Peppercorn Smoked Mussels finished in Burrow Hill Cider Brine.

We now have the functionality and social aspect of a Tapas coupled with the old fashioned British Bar snack in our newly released West Country Artisan Deli Board. Simple foods traditional in aspect yet the peak of quality and flavour. The time I become very proud is when a wide selection goes out to one table, knowing that the lucky guests are understanding the concept, enjoying the pairing with selected local Ales and Ciders, and telling all who follow their tweets, shouts, and status updates.

God bless you Foodies, without you, British Cuisine would be extinct.

Imitating Scotland is brave

Okay.


I know that we haven't got through Christmas, and that this is a bizarre post to write at this point in time. But, here in the kitchen in the Pub on top of the hill we are already being 'Badgered' for the next social event of the year........Burn's Night.


What is strange about this is not the timeframe we are facing, (Chefs have already sewn up Christmas and New Year so we are going onto the next special meal), but the fact that in a small hamlet in Somerset, people are obsessed with the Scottish tradition of eating non fancy food to celebrate a poet who often wrote with a heavy brogue back in the 17oo's.


Celebrated on 25 January the format of Burns supper starts with a general welcome and announcements, followed with the Selkirk grace. After the grace, comes the Haggis which is paraded out with a piper playing followed by Burns' famous "Adress to the Haggis" which is read and the haggis cut open.
 The event usually allows for people to start eating just after the haggis has been presented. This is when the reading called the "immortal memory", an overview of Burns' life and work, is given; the event usually concludes with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne"


The event is an enjoyable one with a lot of effort put in. The weird thing is though, it is far more popular than our Saint Georges day.


Anyway, this is not a history blog, so back to the food.


Whenever we create menus, recipes etc, the most important factors for me are:


1) it has to be amazing....obviously.
2) if it is a regional dish or menu, i.e. Curry, French etc, then it must be as authentic as possible.
3) It has to be high quality and good value for money.


So, I am then tasked with the job of finding dishes that will appeal to all potential Diners, expand on the origional supper to make it an evening worthy of a restaurant experience yet still true to it's roots, and most importantly ensure it is authentic!


I think I have created a good menu utilising some very traditional Scottish dishes, given them a boost with some technical culinary know how and still managed to maintain the feel for Mr. Rabbie Burn's special evening......


Down here......in Somerset.
(we are closer to Paris than Edinburgh, true fact!) Revolution night anyone????

Bill of Fare

Scotch Broth with Bannock

Potato & Leek Soup with Bannock (Vegan)

Albroath Toasties

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A Wee Dram to Celebrate

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Haggis, Bashed Neeps, Champit Tatties & Whiskey Gravy

Vegetarian Haggis, Bashed Neeps, Champit Tatties & Whiskey Gravy

Salmon Balmoral, Colcannon Cakes, Soft Poached Egg & Lavender & Sage oil

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Caledonian Cream

Tipsy Laird

                                           Edinburgh Fog                                           

The Launch of the Begining of the Start.

So, here we go, Blog number one. Start may be slow, Then work to a run. Putting my name, my face, on the map. about the cookery game, and other such crap. (Anon, 2010).....well, me. Sitting in the lame excuse of my makeshift 'office' as the Indian Summer rain slashes against the kitchen door, begging to come in, (must be very cold outside!), and compiling my first blog to which holds my future and fate in its' tiny electronic hands. Why am I doing this? Because I love to write. And I want to realise my goal of creating my first recipe book, and this is a way of sorting what is good and what is bad. I am also looking to practise my written eloquence in order to get on the food writer circuit and even help educate people in the art of good food, as in how, why, and when eating out, where. Anyway, back to Somerset... If you travel through this fair county onwards towards the more popular coastal regions the likes of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset you can be forgiven. I can understand the pull of the chocolate box villages with the bright seas ebbing and flowing beyond. I share a love of the happening seaside towns that has something for everyone. The rugged clifftop walks that boast the stunning views. But ffs......Somerset has more to offer than a stopping point on the A303 to eat in moto chef services, refuel, take a dump then fuck off. We have the Pretty Villages, the amazing walks through rugged nature and hills, happening towns and even the water-be it lakes, rivers and wiers. I'm not the new advertising strategy for visit Somerset, (imagine that endorsment...Oi! Visit Somerset, for fu.....), but I am proud of what Somerset has to offer. I am not originally from here, I was actually born in the actual Country of Belgium..... That's fine.... I can hear the sniggers at the back there, but I am proud of that fact! One of the things, aside from the countryside, towns et al, that has been kept as a localised secret is the food. We have some cracking eating places and I don't mean the likes of chain restaurants but actual individual pubs, restaurants, bistros and hotels that have some kick ass food cooked by some kick ass talent, both usually locally grown and sourced. We have a field of talented guys and girls who can make good food great, (not to mention those who have been misdirected and ill advised by parents, career officers and jobcentres) but usually and thankfully the cream rises to the top, so to speak. We hear names whispered and ushered around the halls and walls of the County of Chefs that are either highly respected, or highly disregarded. Sounds familiar?? It's the same everywhere throughout the world. Welcome to the proffessional realm of Cooking. Over the next few lives I shall be talking about food in general, food in Somerset along with a few reviews of places, rants and raves about the industry and the chefs, recipes from my own creation, insight into being a family man and chef, and maybe even answer questions that you (if you are out there and reading this) post my way. Time for me to get to the stove and pass and feed our salivating clients, check on! Speak soon