recipes from a feeder / photographic food diary / reviews / pie

Friday 28 October 2011

Experimental Food Society - The Exhibition

The Experimental Food Society held an exhibition at The Truman Brewery, and on Saturday the ever fragrant Nick Bam and I headed down ready to fill our tummies. 

The exhibition took place over 3 location of the Truman Brewery, kind of like the Stag and Dager festival but with more people. 




Stefan Gates, food adventurer, was on hand with a gastronomic lunch box delight and ready to talk us through what exactly we were eating. 


Nick Bam going in on these jellyfish noodles. Jellyfish are massively low cal (because they are mainly water) 


bum sandwich - a mature cheddar sandwich with basil that you sit on to warm up to 37.5C to activate all the flavours.


Pure gold wrapped sausage (please note mealworms in the background, i ate those too)



Katie Franklin's Pomp de Franc made a welcome apparence at the exhibition too, I first came across Katie's cake designs at the Fred Butler x Lazy Oaf collaboration launch with delicious puree filled cupcakes. 


These delicate little sponges baked in quails egg shells were aestically divine, and came in flavours like banana and dime bar + sour cream and cherry


best of the rest


DoDo sponge cake 


an Eiffel Tower made out of curly wurlys


Tuesday 25 October 2011

BIG menu


After their pop up burger shop on Broadway Market last Friday night, we're all thinking 'what's next?'

Keep your ear to the ground for more from Superette Sundays 

Spatchcock Roast Chicken + Grape Pickers Potatoes




There was of course more to this wonderful roast by my pal Aimee than chicken and potatoes, but the crispy spatchcock chicken and super indulgent potatoes stole the show. 

Grape Pickers Potatoes, a new concept to me, have been around for donkeys years. In fact, the dish was traditionally fed to the hard working grape pickers during the burgundy grape harvest.

Potatoes
Butter
streaky bacon
Gruyere cheese
Salt & Pepper

Line a heavy dish with the streaky bacon

Peel and slice potatoes thinly

Layer potatoes in the dish with cheese and salt and pepper

make a lid with the over hanging bacon

dot butter on the lid

bake for 1 hour

(Works brilliantly as a dish on it's own too with an avocado salad)


Pudding was supplied by myself and was this wonderfully easy and super delicious raspberry clafoutis recipe from Stylist magazine





Friday 21 October 2011

salt beef

lazy eating


Cafe Lido




Cafe Lido is The One. 




21-22 Great Castle Street, W1G 0HY

Interview with jewellery designer Lucy Folk


After stumbling upon Lucy Folk's hoop earring inspired by peppercorns, I knew I had to talk to this girl. Anyone who can bring together my love for a ghetto hoop and my love for food has to be one cool chick. 

Lucy launched her range of ‘wearable food' in 2000. She preserves delicacies we love to eat into precious things we love to wear by electroplating the ‘real thing’ in fine layers of metal, moulding everything from popcorn to lobster legs, casting them in solid silver and 18ct gold and finishing with diamonds and semi precious stones. 

With a celebrity fan base including Snoop Dogg and Lily Allen and being nominated as ‘Accessory Designer of the Year’ 2 years running by Marie Claire magazine it's clear to see that Lucy Folk is onto something with  wearable food.

I talk to Lucy about making pasta jewellery, tacos and food's rather misguided place in fashion.




Why Food Lucy?

My family has been in hospitality forever and food plays an important part in our lives.  It is almost a bit of a joke as we are such foodie’s but food is something everyone can identify with and therefore it was a fun theme to explore.

What was the first foodie piece you made?

When I was in kindergarten we made necklaces using real pasta (rigatoni) and spray painted it silver and gold. Therefore I started making wearable food when I was a wee little girl.  In 2005, I created a range of jewellery  that represented this idea. However I fabricated the pasta in wax and then cast it in sterling silver. I made bangles with recipes stamped into them…such as Pasta of the Day is Nonna’s Spaghetti and Meatballs…its delicious !!

What’s the hardest piece you've created?

The hardest pieces must be the Taco Clutch handbag. It took around 8 months to get it sorted. We made the taco shell out of copper and burred the surface so it mimicked that of a taco and then had to figure out how to make it a bag. I went down numerous avenues of exploration and I am thrilled with how it turned out. It is available exclusively at my new store in Melbourne, Australia.

Do you get custom orders for specific food?

I had to make an engagement ring that was cast directly from Crunchola which is a type of breakfast cereal/muesli/granola. The ring turned out really well and it was made in sterling silver, set with small blue sapphires that represented blueberries. The lucky lady who received the ring , ate Crunchola with blueberries daily, hence the significance !


Were you worried that food didn’t have a place in fashion? 

I have never worried whether something has a place in fashion. I prefer to make something that is slightly humorous and creates some sort of reaction. Everyone can identify with food and therefore enjoy wearing something light hearted but made using only the finest materials.

Do you think fashion has a sense of humour?

Fashion definitely has a sense of humor! Think Lady Gaga, Jeremy Scott, Comme des Garcons!




As your not inspired by trends, what inspires each collection? 

Each collection is inspired by my life, travel, food and the seasons. “Taqueria” stemmed from my passion for Mexico and all the handicrafts that I grew up with in our house. My mum’s friend had a fabulous store in Melbourne that stocked art, furniture, and crafts from Mexico and Italy. We spent a lot of time there growing up and ogling over the colourful  treasures that made up Market Import. I have been to Mexico 3 times and I love it.  There is so much to be inspired by and the food is delicious. I always look to food and observe its shape, texture, and colour.


Who is the Lucy Folk customer?

My customer is someone who isn’t afraid to wear something bold and fun. Someone who values quality ,something unique and appreciates that it is handmade.

What’s your favourite food?

This is tricky ! My favourite chef is Andrew McConnell. He has 3 brilliant restaurants in Melbourne and all of his food is divine. Some of my favourite dishes are…Moreton Bay Bug and cabbage salad, tuna tartare with pea puree and goats curd. So basically Seafood would be at the top of my list !

What’s your signature dish?

My cabbage salad…

finely shave half a cabbage
zest a whole lemon,
add one cup of peas
finely chop half a red onion
chop a small chilli
add a handful of chopped mint
add a handful of chopped parsley
break 1 piece of dodoni fetta
dress with lots of lemon juice and olive oil.
Its such a great dish to accompany any fish, or meat.

Can we expect to see any Lucy Folk collaborations?

Ooh I hope so. Bring it on I say !


Lucy Folk is currently stocked in Harvey Nichols London and Colette Paris.

Monday 17 October 2011

Spuntino - Rupert St, W1


Mac and cheese. Obvs. 



The Bake Off - Halloween Special


Still recruiting exciting stall holders for the Halloween Special

The Bake Off at The Boogaloo


Prizes for 'Best Cake In Show' and 'Best Costume'

Free BBQ

drop me a line on holly@hollychaves.com for more info

Look forward to seeing everyone there!

Monday 3 October 2011

banana bread

My obsession with banana bread started soon after Foxcroft and Ginger opened around the corner from me in Soho. It hasn't taken long for Foxcroft, located at the end of Berwick Street market, to become my favourite lunch time eatery in Central London, maybe something to do with their daily changing menu, freshly baked bread, and their beyond perfect Croque Monsieur served with a maple syrup drizzle? 



I make it my business to try banana bread if it's on the menu in any cafe I go to, and as a self authorised banana bread connoisseur, I believe Foxcroft and Ginger could quite possibly have the best banana bread I have ever tasted.  

Short of asking for their recipe, with trial and error I found a recipe with the perfect stodgy texture.


250g plain flour
1 tsp bi carb
1/2 tsp salt
200g caster sugar
25g light brown sugar
4 over ripe bananas
85ml buttermilk or full fat milk with 1 tsp lemon juice
75g walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt 

into a large mixing bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar together 

Add the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk

Fold in the flour mixture.

Pour the cake mixture into the tin.

Bake for about an hour

Sunday 2 October 2011

fatty fat fat


The Dove, Broadway Market. Chips in a glass is one of the most annoying things in the world.




Kebab -ish, Hackney Road(chips, donner meat, cheese, chilli sauce and garlic sauce in a pitta)



Wok and Roll, Oxford Street - A bit of everything.