My autumnal food highlights

The summer sun is fading fast, the leaves are falling, the nights are beginning to draw in and Christmas is within touching distance!

However, on a more uplifting note, this does mean that we have officially hit autumn with its spectacular larder of foraged goods. This is the time that game birds begin appearing on menus and pumpkins begin to ripen. It is the perfect time to indulge in long Sunday lunches, followed by walks on the common.

Here is a selection of my most eagerly anticipated ingredients from the autumn season, some ways in which you can obtain them, and how to make the most of these seasonal delights. Cobnuts, chestnuts, figs, wild mushrooms and an abundance of root vegetables all feature highly on the menu at Trinity through October and November. If you have not discovered cobnuts, I suggest you do! They are plentiful in autumn, and can be foraged in the wild or brought at great food markets such as Borough. Simply crack them open, and grate over a warm salad, slice and fold through risottos, or blend them into a soup made from that root of all roots, the Jerusalem artichoke. Mushrooms of the wild variety come into their own in this leafy season, with Ceps (porcini), Black Trompettes and of course the luxurious autumn truffle all making a welcome appearance and packing a punch in simple risottos or pasta dishes for the shorter days. However, for me the gem of the season, in terms of versatility and uniqueness of flavour has to be the pumpkin. There really is only one variety that cuts it with me and that is the French, large, squat version which have a pronounced, ribbed outer skin. These dark orange, almost terracotta looking squashes are great for soups (see my recipe below).

When it comes to fruits, there are two contenders for me, the awesome, black fig and the berry which takes the longest to come of age, the plump English blackberry. When selecting figs, choose the slightly soft fruit which will yield sweet insides. They should be eaten with salty cured meats or gently baked with port for a simple pudding; mascarpone is the ideal accompaniment here. Apples make the perfect partner for blackberries. English Russets are best, either chilled in the form of a trifle, with a splash of calvados taking the place of sherry, or hot, as an apple and blackberry pie. Try adding a few grams of crumbly cheese, such as Montgomery Cheddar, to the pie for a savoury seasoning.

To source these autumnal gems shop at farmers markets, or seek out local producers - a good tip is to get friendly with the guys on the allotments during harvest time, and get involved with some good old fashioned bartering! Alternatively Trinity Stores in Balham has a great array of seasonal goodies (and no it’s not an offspring of mine!) or if you love picking your own fruit and vegetables, I can highly recommend Garsons Farm in Esher in Surrey. True, back to basics, seasonal shopping with muddy boots and all!

Here are a few of our autumnal highlights for socialising away from home:
For cosy drinks by the fire head to The Prince of Wales Pub in Putney, 020 8788 1552. Head Chef Dominic has spent a fair amount of time cooking alongside me and is delivering first class dining in simple surroundings over in Putney.

Out of town, the Fox and Hounds on Christmas common is cooking some of the best pub grub around with most of its produce being sourced locally. If it’s a more central dinner you’re after, then try Terroirs which is making waves in the industry, with its great value small plates of French fare, accompanied by one of the most interesting WINEs available.

<TOP>

'Thoughts for Food’ Master Classes

There are a few places left on the classes scheduled in before the festive break. Gift vouchers to make these the perfect present option, or why not treat yourself!

To book a place please contact the reception team on 020 7622 1199 or find more information here.

The remaining classes are:
Tuesday 13th October: Big Winter Reds
Thursday 5th November: Thoughts for Cheese
Saturday 14th November: Corker
Friday 20th November: A Trip to Borough Markets
Saturday 28th November: Birds for Christmas

<TOP>

Thoughts for Cheese

Leah Kirkland is a familiar face at Trinity having spent many years with us. If we were a large corporation she would have the title of "creative director" by now. She also has a passion for all things cheese. Here are a few words from Leah on cheese for the season, her favourite purveyors and accompaniments.

‘With autumn in mind I’m looking forward to cold nights by the fire tucking into a generous plate of cheese, here are a few suggestions from me on what’s seasonal, delicious and new at Neal's yard. I’ve always been partial to a bit of Stilton – especially Colston Bassett, but since Stichelton has come about I find it hard to beat. Made the same way as Stilton but with unpasteurised milk, this cheese harks back to a day before Stilton laws controlled the cheese making process (much like a French AOC). Joe Schneider and Randolph Hodgson have taken on this task. It is rich, buttery, nutty and oh so moreish. I had the pleasure of meeting Randolph on my stage at Neal’s Yard Dairy in June, a passionate man whose cheese palate would rival the talents of top wine masters.

Neal's Yard Dairy have recently brought in a new cheese from Martin Gott, the maker of one of my favourite wash rind cheeses St James. From his own herd of sheep in Cumbria he is now producing Swallet. Soft and petit with a delicate Geotrichum rind (my favourite bacterium also used in St Tola) it has a thin layer of soft liquid floating just beneath the surface with a firmer velvety centre. Don’t be scared off by the patches of blue gray mould and you’ll be rewarded with the grassy round hazelnut finish.

When making a cheeseboard at home keep it simple. A small selection with some decent biscuits (homemade if you have the time) and a healthy bunch of Muscat grapes will impress and let the quality of the cheese shine.’

 <TOP>

What's happening at Trinity

It’s been a great summer for us, light, summer cooking with the windows wide open has been the order of the day. In addition to this we cooked a birthday party to remember at the home of one of our dearest regular guests, this was a great experience for us all. I holidayed in northern Croatia with my family and managed to fulfil a lifelong dream of truffle hunting with a farmer and his hounds. We managed to forage just over 600g of the finest Istrian summer truffles, a memorable experience.

For those of you that would like to have a firsthand look at of some of Trinity’s food, I am demonstrating live at this year’s Restaurant Show in Earls Court, on Wednesday 14th October. I am taking one of our chefs Terry Sue, with me. To ensure that if it all goes wrong I have someone to blame it on!

To assist the launch of Rachel Allen’s new show, I took to the hobs on Market Kitchen with my son Jack and cooked a family favourite. This aired on Monday 21st September. Do look out for Rachel’s fantastic new show Home Cooking, currently airing on Good Food SKY. I continue to plug away at my book and the 120 recipes required are coming along nicely. ‘How to Eat In’ will be published by Random House Group (Transworld) on 15th April 2010.

We remain focused on our Menu Prix Fixe, and have enjoyed the positive feedback this menu has received as one of London’s best value restaurant offerings.

Sunday Lunch continues to pack a classic, familiar and seasonal punch, with a roast lunch balanced by a few luxuries that Sundays should have. Priced at £25 for three courses with families most welcome.

We will be participating in the London Restaurant Festival, taking place from 8th – 13th October. This looks to be a fantastic event with an array of external events to look out for. You can dine from our festival menu at Trinity over this time, and don’t forget you can nominate us for the best festival menu!

Clapham Gateway
For those living in the Clapham Common area you may be interested to hear that the “Clapham Gateway” is back on the agenda. This is a scheme to improve public spaces around Clapham Common and Old Town.

The overall intention is to improve pedestrian and cycling links to Clapham Common from Clapham Old Town and surrounding areas. Traffic calming measures are proposed to reducing the dominance of traffic, ensuring a cleaner and safer environment.

One of the principle goals is to create a Clapham Old Town square currently the space used as a noisy bus stand. Trinity has written to the authorities in support of this idea and have further proposed the square is used as a daily market where traders could sell a variety of goods such as craft, antiquities, books, clothes, food, flowers, records and CD’s etc, creating a vibrant pedestrian friendly space that will encourage the public to use it.

Additionally Trinity proposes to refurbish the derelict toilets in The Polygon in conjunction with creating a tea house/garden, returning this amenity back to the people.
Get involved and have your say. Feel free to contact us if you have any of your own ideas or want to support us in our proposals.

For more information on what Lambeth has proposed click here.

 <TOP>

Are you a true foodie?

At Trinity we are fond of a test (well I am!) The staff regularly sit through random food, wine, service and Trinity knowledge quizzes to keep the focus on our aim to deliver knowledgeable service. They wanted to turn the tables, so here you can pit your food knowledge against the staff at Trinity and win a bottle of their favourite wine of the week on us. Simply copy and paste the questions below into the body of an email and send to iamafoodie@trinityrestaurant.co.uk and the first five correct answers will be notified and sent a voucher.

Questions:
1) Which Chef was responsible for the creation of the Peach Melba?
2) Bobby, Coco and Butter are all types of what?
3) What is the country of origin of the wine Bacchus?
4) Recently departed Keith Floyd has a book about his life being released in October. Which famous food writer wrote his book?
5) What is the smallest member of the onion family?
6) In classic French cookery, if a consommé is written on a menu as “Dome D’or” what does this indicate?
7) Pasta which is shaped into ribbons 2cm wide is called what?
8) Name four game birds native to the United Kingdom in order of their size (smallest to largest)
9) A classic ‘bouquet garni’ is wrapped in which vegetable?
10) Name three varieties of the fish Sole.

Happy cooking!

T  R  I  N  I  T  Y
4 The Polygon
Clapham Common
London SW4 0JG

Reservations: 0207 622 1199

www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk
dine@trinityrestaurant.co.uk

<TOP>