essence

This post is a bit of a magnum opus which I suggest you attempt to take in at more than one sitting.

Here I’m giving myself the job of rounding up most of the recipes which I have so far managed to cook from the three books written by world-renowned chef David Everitt-Matthias. ‘World-renowned’ is the correct description. It does not mean that he is known by the majority of Earth’s population. But there are people worldwide with an understanding of David’s contribution to cooking and his training and development of chefs. And every one of them is in unavoidable awe of his achievements and the inspiration he provides.

Recipes from his restaurant Le Champignon Sauvage remain approachable for the keen home cook. I used to love making Airfix and Revell model kits as a youngster. I look on my efforts in the kitchen as an application of the same skills and processes. I am still not an intuitive cook and rely on the help of good, clear instructions. But I do accept the challenge of recipes which some would avoid as too adventurous. That is only because practice has given me confidence to know my limits. Having said that, I have cooked for long enough to introduce a little of my own flair and modifications. I don’t make huge culinary advances - but I am pretty good at going off slightly sideways fairly regularly.

You will soon see that I have been heavily attracted by dessert recipes. Puddings are not generally on the weekly menus for Mrs Cheoff and me. Instead they appear as the finale to meals for invited family and friends. Mrs C has a host of well-known and oft-requested dishes. Those are always delicious and satisfying but I insist on mucking about considerably more to create my offerings. An Everitt-Matthias recipe gives me ample opportunity for that. They also give anyone the chance to pick out one or two elements only and still make something interesting and tasty.

I have detailed some of these dishes in my blog before. If you reference this post and it encourages you to try out some of the ideas my job is done. My new mantra is ‘Don’t just look - COOK!’

With a few exceptions, each recipe title below will link to a gallery of photographs of my results. Some were not captured and a few are still uncatalogued and waiting to be found on old hard drives. I will update where I can.

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apricot sorbet
‘beyond essence’ p. 144
Sharply sweet? Sweetly sharp? Either way - just as it should be.

basil mojito sorbet
Mrs Cheoff chose the ‘lemon meringue tart’ (coming up below) on our first visit to Le Champignon Sauvage in 2010. Chef served it with this basil mojito sorbet. Six years later I asked for the recipe and got it. You don’t, I’m afraid. I have respected chef’s request not to share this particular one - but I would be very pleased to make some for you if you are passing this way! It’s a stand-alone stunner as far as I am concerned. Good enough for concentrated enjoyment in the pre-dessert I chose to make.
I give it some more companions in my ‘lemon and basil’ further down this page.

beetroot and bubblegum pastille
A recipe from David Everitt-Matthias’ Great British Chefs pages here
My excitement at juicing beetroot for the first time turned to surprise at the good yield of liquid. Four large beets gave just more than needed.
These are a great addition to a petit four selection. Raised eyebrows and discussion will almost certainly accompany the initial visual shock but should precede enjoyment of a treat which eats very well.

bitter chocolate fudge
‘essence’ p. 172
Pistachio and raisin added to this one as per the recipe. Helen Everitt-Matthias is rather partial to this one. As the perfect host she will even suppress her glare should you dare to take it for yourself from the petits fours on offer with coffee!*

*The generous variety of the petits fours made at the restaurant also inspire me to have a good selection ready for guests at our home.

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blackcurrant and liquorice jelly
‘dessert’ p. 141
Plenty of flavour here but I didn’t bring things right up to temperature for a more solid jelly. The ‘wrong’ soft set was still good enough after rolling in sugar.

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braised blade of beef
‘essence’ p. 122
A main course!
No nettle risotto. Instead I went for a mustard mash, caramelised shallots and star anise carrots. Rich rewards here from the long cooking of the meat.

brandade
‘beyond essence’ p. 32
Salty, garlicky and creamy with a gently bitter tang from fried onions. Still no iSi gun at Cheoff Towers to deliver whipped foams. A trip to a well-known health food store for lecithin granules to be ground to powder was chef’s successful suggestion for the garlic froth.
I served this as an amuse and at least three of our guests admitted that their reservations about ingredients had been completely squashed by its rich but balanced flavours.
Pierre Koffmann judged the version which David cooked for him as one of the finest he had tasted.

caramel-poached pineapple, coconut gel, pineapple and lemon verbena sorbet
‘beyond essence’ p. 142
Apart from the too firm consistency of the coconut cream gel this was a bit of a dazzler. Worth the work spread over a couple of days. Even sweeter than the old-style tinned stuff, the pineapple is perfectly matched by that wonderful zingy sorbet.

chausson of elderberry & bramley with vanilla ice cream
‘beyond essence’ p. 146
The crunch and lightness of the duck fat pastry gives enough pleasure even before the filling reveals itself. This is a fruit turnover raised from the commonplace to special status.

chocolate and star anise truffle cake with fennel ice cream
‘essence’ p. 150
Food really should linger longer on the tongue for full appreciation. This sticks to the roof of your mouth and delays things before the swallowing.
The cake was made but I used vanilla ice cream and segmented oranges on my plate.

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chocolate, orange, liquorice
(adapted from/inspired by bergamot parfait, orange jelly, liquorice cream - ‘beyond essence’ p. 139)
After eating the original dish at Le Champignon Sauvage I used similar flavours for two plates.
The first has a caramel ice cream robed with dark chocolate and some cocoa nib tuiles. Poached mandarins, orange jelly and candied peel complete.
The Gary Jones/Raymond Blanc recipe for liquorice ice cream replaces chocolate and caramel in the second version. Chocolate soil and hazelnut tuiles join in.

cinnamon-spiced doughnuts
‘dessert’ p. 105
(no photos available)
These were made as an alternative to the fried ‘bugnes’ which accompany Diana Henry’s Skier’s Chocolate drink recipe.
I froze some of the ‘cherries’ of dough and successfully fried them a few weeks later.

crab apple parfait with green apple and haw sorbet
‘essence’ p. 154
The tree in our neighbour’s garden at the end of the street has gloriously red crab apples which give my parfait a shade of pink lovely enough to grace an Edwardian baby boy’s dress.
My first effort was served with a wild plum sorbet and some crumbly flapjack.
The version made only last month (September 2020) followed much closer to the recipe. Rose petals were added to flavour the apple sorbet and I sugared and lightly roasted some more to crumble over the top of the parfait.
Fragrance, freshness, sweetness and sharpness all make a dessert beautiful enough to discard the word ‘pudding’.

duck confit
‘essence’ p. 16
A wonderful store cupboard standby. Make sure at least a few are heated, crisped and eaten as they are. The shredded meat layered into potato dauphinoise or added to breads (try brioche) are just a couple of further ways to use it.

lemon and basil
This pulls together various elements and ideas from the ‘essence’ cookbooks. A lemon parfait, some vanilla ice cream and that splendid basil mojito sorbet are the trio of main players. Strips of candied orange peel and a fennel granola add texture and some home grown Thai basil gave wonderful sweet aniseed notes through leaves and flowers.

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lemon meringue tart
‘dessert’ p. 66
Angelica and lemon sorbet and jelly were substituted here by my raspberry sorbet and some lemon verbena jelly. The sweet pastry recipe David devised for the National Chef of the Year (which he won!) makes a wonderfully reliable base to the tart here.

lemon verbena jelly
‘dessert’ p. 68
As seen in the recipe above. With the irresistible zing and tingle of sherbet lemons.

pickled apples
‘essence’ p. 21
(no photos available)
Another good one for the store cupboard. To combat fattiness of oily fish, game and terrines.

pickled green elderberries
’beyond essence’ p. 14
Made recently as I missed the opportunity to pickle wild garlic flower buds. Panic nearly set in as the elder only appeared to show dark, ripe berries. On closer inspection the foliage was hiding still green berries as well. White balsamic gives these a gentle sweet pickling.

pistachio and olive oil cake with roasted strawberries and rhubarb sorbet
‘essence’ p. 156
Changes here were poached apricots and apricot sorbet instead of the red fruits of the original.

prune and honey cake with pressed apples and mahlab cherry stone ice cream
‘dessert’ p. 62
(no photos available)
No substitutions when I made this one. Which involved one of my first forays into ‘speciality’ ingredients and a wait for the mahlab cherry stones.
Oh - this uses ‘marinated prunes in armagnac’ from page 16 of the same book. In full agreement with chef that you should make some to top a creamy rice pudding.

ras el hanout
‘essence’ p. 41
Many uses for this spice mix. Strong suspicion that it flavoured Mrs Cheoff’s lamb pastilla on our first visit to Cheltenham.

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raspberry jelly
(adapted from strawberry and hibiscus jelly with lemon verbena custard and blackcurrant sorbet - ‘dessert’ p. 48)
The cover of ‘dessert’ shows the recipe I’ve adapted and presented in the same way as a pre-dessert. The jelly had a little Chambord raspberry liqueur added and is topped with a sweet amaretto whipped cream. Toasted spiced bread batons and crumbs for crunch.

roasted acorns
acorn panna cotta
‘essence’ p.166
Photographs for this one (I just made the acorn panna cotta) are mislaid. One property we visit in France has an oak tree with a ripe harvest. They are roasted on our return and ground. I love the Caramac or Dime Bar flavour this adds to cakes and custards.

salted caramel and peanut truffles
‘beyond essence’ p. 176
Yum. Just make them. (Snickers in disguise!)

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salted lemons
‘essence’ p. 18

semifreddo of macadamia nuts with passion fruit and star anise sorbet
‘dessert’ p. 33
Our Boxing Day dessert a few Christmases ago. One of those dishes where guests can be seen silently thinking that I should abandon plating up portions for individuals and allow a free-for-all with large spoons back in the kitchen.

sorrel ice cream
‘dessert’ p. 119
I like this. Mrs Cheoff not keen. The distinct vegetable matter taste is almost bound to divide opinion.

spiced bread
‘essence’ p. 22
So many uses, both sweet and savoury. Crouton crunch for soups and salads and I’ve recently used the fine crumbs to line raspberry soufflé dishes. Mentioning it here reminds me to fulfil my long-standing promise to fry batons of this bread in lashings of butter and serve up with candied peel or confit fruits.

sweetcorn and smoked bacon muffins
‘beyond essence’ p. 29
These always go down just as well fresh or reheated. A bag of them is often to be found in our freezer.

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sweetcorn cream with caramel and popcorn ice cream
‘dessert’ p. 82
One of the recipes I approached early on. As did son James who has been singing the praises of sweetcorn cream ever since.

tartare sauce
’essence’ p. 33
Taken from the recipe to go with crispy pig’s ears. I failed to get them cooked correctly - twice! But this sauce is regularly made for fish finger wraps and the haddock goujons in my album picture. If our tarragon plant outside has given up I’ll chop some salted lemons to add the same brightness.

tomato confit with lemon
‘essence’ p. 17
(no photos available)
Acidity and pulled back sweet fruit of tomato make for a tempting tracklement (not used that word for ages). Really good on a cube of hard cheese for starters. Well - for canapés I guess.

white chocolate and salted lemon fudge
‘dessert’ p. 140
One of the few recipes I’ll make with white chocolate. The salted lemon stops the ‘lazy’ cloying sweetness and makes you wonder if just one more might not be a bad idea.

That’s it. For now. If I come back to add future efforts (after pushing the DeLorean up to 88 mph?) my only dilemma will be whether to tag them on the end here or go full pedant and insert new entries in their alphabetical place.

So. The end. If you are still here - thank you and well done!

Au fil du temps

Restaurant Au Fil du Temps
by Jérôme and Angelina Campanelli

Dinner for two - 12 September 2019

A three hour meal. Three hours which we will never get back. And how grateful we feel that we spent each of those hours - every minute and second of them - at this delightful place.

We know the area well and usually eat out once or twice while visiting. But never here before.

We were somewhat prepared for the style of the evening after reading information on the restaurant’s Facebook and blogspot pages. Neither of those are kept all that much up to date. Which hardly matters if time is spent instead on the sort of attentions which we and all other guests received at the restaurant.

Delivering those attentions at front of house is wife, mother and full-time Wonder Woman, Angelina. She is exemplary - a perfect mixture of professionalism and friendliness. She looked after the entire house single-handed throughout the evening. At first her children added to the atmosphere, playing quietly in the square. They vanished, quietly and apparently unbidden, to their beds and left us to be distracted by their parents’ talents.

The restaurant interior. Not needed - not used - on our visit.

The restaurant terrace setting adds its own magic, especially when the mild September Vauclusienne climate and the church clock chime in.

As for chef, Jérôme, he delivers an adventurous menu using lovely fresh ingredients and some clever techniques but never loses sight of the importance of flavour.

You are in the fine care of a chef who says:

“On a un beau vivier de clientèle ce qui me permet de faire la cuisine que j’aime, celle en laquelle je crois.”

(“We have a good pool of customers which allows me to cook the food I love, the food I believe in.”)

Chef’s approach and refusal to compromise is exactly what is needed to create a great menu. And when customers are offered food from such honesty it does nothing except add to their enjoyment.

I found and referenced this interesting and thoughtful review. It really tells you most of what’s needed to know about the restaurant and its people but I still feel compelled to write something in my own words. At the very least to show our appreciation of what Jérôme and Angelina have created.

One more element was a huge success – the wine:
Vallis Petra - Ô Pré de Juliette, Vacqueyras Blanc par Alain Ignace
Viognier, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Marsanne

My confidence is growing here and I had picked it from the list as an interesting local white (I’m including nearby Vacqueyras as local - sorry Ventoux!). Angelina has seriously reliable credentials if you need help with wines. She simply added a smile and enthusiastic nod to my choice and confirmed that it would complement all the fish and meat courses.
It was such a successful food wine. We were lucky enough to track it down later in the week and now have bottles to enjoy at home.

Jérôme cooks with confidence and precision using really fresh ingredients. The interest created throughout the meal is terrific. There is a sure touch and no confusion. Chef knows where to stop. Not every flavour found full expression and the cuisson of our pork dish was not particularly great but there was an insistent whirlwind of such culinary understanding and overall success that triumphs in every dish kicked any small disappointments straight into touch.

The food we enjoyed is recorded below. Read it if you want but bear in mind Jérôme’s philosophy which means that all is likely to change as soon as a season or the quality or availability of an ingredient changes. Don’t rely on seeing the same menu as we did but do count on the same excellence. The evening menu is totally under chef’s confident control. Do let him know of any allergies and food dislikes in advance but after that allow him to do what he does best.

The menu was €49 per person without wine. The whole experience had been a real treat. Best not to say that we’d have happily paid more, eh!

We settled the bill and left wistfully. The time was exactly 23:00. The local pharmacy displayed the matching digits of a still-warm 23 degree temperature. Even though street lights hid the stars they were obviously aligned that night. But our thanks must go to Jérôme and Angelina for shining much brighter than anything or anyone else to make our evening so perfect.

‘Au Fil du Temps’ in daylight. Click on the picture and link to a Google Maps ‘street view’ and wander around the rest of Pernes-les-Fontaines. It’s a lovely town to walk through - even electronically!

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• Note - I am in contact with Jérôme to confirm exact details of the dishes I have tried to remember here.
  Please be prepared for an update.

Lasagne and Rioja - Armonia and Armonía

Please just take this post as a recommendation to enjoy cooking good food and drinking good wine. I take no responsibility for suggesting the particular ‘pairing’ which I found so pleasing. For me everything was in harmony here. I am convinced that some food/drink combinations work better than others but I’m also resolved to go no further than suggesting match-ups rather than insisting on them.

I will go a little closer to insisting that you try both of these elements even if you don’t combine them.

First the food. Reliable, reassuring Mary Berry provides the recipe. There are many vegetarian lasagne options. This is becoming our front-runner for repeat performances. We have already found that it freezes well.

Click image for link to recipe

The combination of earthy sweetness, grassy herbs and a sauce with mustard tang and both silky and squeaky cheese is surely enough to allay the reservations of meat eaters. Red peppers were left out this time as they have come under suspicion for mild gastric discomfort in the digestive phase.

Red wine was included though. So this is where you play your part and consider my suggestion in the full knowledge that I take rejection in my stride. We can remain friends if you open a different bottle.

Click image for link to wine

You’ll note that the particular wine is no longer available. This is not to tease you - it simply provides you an opportunity for a fun-filled mission to find something similar. I’d recommend looking at The Wine Society Rioja listing to start! And maybe consider a dip into limited or in bond offers to have at least a small supply to be released when you want a treat.

I had to recall the flavour profiles on offer in this wine from memory of a bottle opened months ago. Yes, I know. Make notes.

This revisit confirmed all the ripe black fruit and dried herb notes I’d anticipated. Pretty soft tannins made the whole thing even gentler than the food but still able to stand up to and balance the thrust and acidity of Dijon mustard.

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My picture can’t speak a thousand words… and I’ll stop before typing that many in praise of this duo.

I leave you with my same opening hopes - that you’ll consider trying something which gives ample opportunity to eat, drink and be merry… and Mary!

Sticky Walnut - The Food

Dinner for two. Table 5. Our Kickstarter reward. A few descriptions, observations and reactions.

The food was only one part of our whole ‘Sticky’ experience. I’ve expanded on the rest elsewhere. That ‘elsewhere’ is more important than these musings. But if you like great food, do stay here and tag along.

This post gives due credit to this award winning local bistro’s statement of intent: “… serving humble dishes using the best possible ingredients”

Photographs here (all the good ones) link to the social media from which I have pinched them. There seems little point in offering my own sub-standard pics which would undermine the quality of food which we enjoyed. And in any case, as you might know, when we are aht and abaht I don’t waste precious time distracting from food so perfectly thought out, cooked and delivered by whipping out my macro lens. If the owners of these images object I am pleased to immediately remove them (the pics, not the owners, ya daft lot!).

Food on its way. But before that. My biggest expertise with wine is remaining open to suggestion from others who probably know more than I do. Quinta dos Carvalhais, Encruzado, Dao, Portugal was given pole position at the top of the list in ruby red printer’s ink and we trusted this nudge of recommendation. It went down very well. The whole list looks like someone has taken good care to create interest and value.

Right. Food.

What Mrs Cheoff ate.

Roast beetroot salad, sticky walnuts, spiced pumpkin seeds, ricotta

All the usual suspects for this starter. Except the obvious one. Goat’s cheese was replaced by whipped ricotta. Not wholly unusual but the lack of tang and the concentration on creaminess provided a different balance. Not the balance Mrs C would have preferred. She didn’t quibble for long. Everything here was really well done. Enough flavour and texture contrasts to keep up interest in even a small dish. The humble but tasty had begun… with an early appearance of sticky from those walnuts.

Roasted chicken breast, asparagus, truffle potato terrine, bread sauce

Roast dinner without knobs on? Perhaps. But any lack of the usual ‘trimmings’ still twiddled my wife’s dials up to maximum appreciation levels. Softness, wetness and richness was all here - with a satisfying resistant crunch from those glistening, erect green spears. I wanted to get ‘throbbing’ in there somewhere but drew back before the arrival of a full-on Mills & Boon. The depth of flavour from hours of ‘gravy’ production as well as the final quality of last minute cooking shone through here. Reassuring stuff. I was given a minuscule fork end of the potato terrine to stop my covetous looks.

This replaced duck which Mrs C would have ordered from the menu I’d downloaded the day before. Any disappointment lasted no more than seconds after starting her substitute. A menu which can change daily suggests that the kitchen reacts to exactly the right things. Availability of ingredients would be one of those. But my favourite notion is that there are chefs here who think, “This is what I fancy cooking tonight.” Not a bad approach if you want to stave off the drudgery of offering the same dish day after day.

Vanilla rice pudding, poached apricot, milk crumb, apricot sorbet

No hesitation from Mrs C in choosing this one. Equally quick nods of approval and low squeaks of delight as she tucked in. The poached apricots were even closer to Al Pacino (just a bit hard) than they were to al dente. This was perfectly fine given that they were sidling up to softer, silkier bed-fellows. I did a spot of quality control on that sorbet and then saw Mrs C’s glowering eyebrows and diplomatically decided to let her luxuriate in all the last remaining mouthfuls.

Time to collect my thoughts and assemble them in a feeble attempt to do wordy justice to the excellence of three more dishes which formed my meal. Oh, never fear. The high standard doesn’t drop at Sticky Walnut.

What Cheoff ate.

Crispy pigs head terrine, caramelised apple, barbecue sauce

So it’s back to savoury with my meal starter. Filaments of soft, only slightly fatty but very porky pork were encased in a crunch of fine breadcrumbs. I’m relying on the Instagram post of a rather elevated member of the culinary world to show the plating. I’m not great and seldom good but following the picture link above leads you to someone who is both of those and a bit more. It was delightful to find out that Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms’ chef owner Gareth Ward had looked across at our table as he enjoyed a Sunday lunch on his visit here a few days after us. His assessment of the ‘epic’ and ‘so so tasty’ food was all the way up there in agreement with ours.

Pork and apple is just right. Righter still when the sharp-sweet fruit is caramelised after being treated to something close to brunoise knife skills. As close, that is, as a kitchen which throws poncey in the slop bucket can get.

And then you hit on that glob of filthy dirty gorgeous brown goodness. Whacks of soy and star anise are trapped in a silky smooth sauce. You can probably buy the equivalent in a bottle with some sort of dragon on it but it wouldn’t match up to the competition here. This is one of those store cupboard essentials which good kitchens work on and perfect so that the only thing left is for paying guests to put the “Oooh!” into umami.

I reckon BBQ stands for the Bloody Big Queue of people who would like the recipe for this one… my email request is on its way!

Pan fried cod loin, lardo, brown butter pomme puree, parsley sauce

A different approach from my previous ‘best ever’ cod dish at Yummie Brummie’s. That was a glassy, flaking thing of beauty. This chunk of freshness had been given quicker hotter treatment. None of which stopped it being a complete star. Due, of course, to another complete star in the kitchen who had judged the cooking so perfectly before plating. Lardo was already adding a melt-in-the-mouth luxury coating. The finest golden crust on the fish from initial hot pan contact gave way to perfect softness but with just enough resistance to break away into my tooth gaps for exploration later!
Tender stem broccoli on the night instead of leaves. The potato puree held its own against the only slightly smoother parsley sauce. Another sauce of quality. Depth of flavour again of course. But the main magic was its vibrancy. It takes a clever cook to offer something which tells you what the colour green tastes like.
Four simple elements combining to give delight. This seems to happen a lot here. I’m putting this one in equal first fish dish position alongside my previous offering from Chef Purnell.

Baked pineapple and white chocolate cheesecake, poached pineapple, lime sorbet

Pretty sure a fair few top chefs regard white chocolate as a second rate cousin to the darker, sexier stuff. Silly buggers are missing out on producing crowd pleasers like this. All its creaminess is cut back here with a tangy pineapple jelly topping. The poached pineapple was taken just far enough to be coated in a sweet caramel. Those sugars needed more balancing. And, balanced they were by the presence of a vibrant citrus and herb sorbet. The printed menu omitted to reference that herb but it quickly said hello before I even put the first spoonful in my mouth. The equivalent of a face slap from two huge bunches of mint hit me before lime reminded me it was also along for the ride. This was a Mojito sorbet without the alcohol… but intoxicating all the same.

Oh - if you think that cheesecake looks like it had a soggy bottom you’d be right. But it also managed not to! Mrs Cheoff puts grape nuts in her key lime pie base and something similar was going on here. An informative chat at the pass revealed that crunchy feuilletine did the job.

No let-downs with the pudding then. That’s six out of six perfectly delivered dishes for the two of us.

Saved me cooking a birthday meal for the love of my life, eh. Ah, yes. We were celebrating here just a couple of days before the arrival of a new year in the life of Mrs. Cheoff - but as usual we kept that knowledge from our hosts. And with hosts who made us and every other diner feel like treasured old friends it would have been pointless to ask for more delicious fuss than we were treated to in any case.

A truly great meal thanks to a talented, intelligent and generous team.

Only five more Elite Bistros left for us to try. That won’t be any hardship.

Keep keeping it sassy, guys!

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“I am not a number - I am a free man.”
But numbers do help everyone get what they order!

Sticky Walnuts!

Sticky Walnut - Finally

Our visit came about when I joined 1,192 other backers to fund the Pinion... Potentially Kickstarter. My ‘reward’ was a voucher for a meal at any of Elite Bistros’ restaurants. But things had really kicked off long before that when I first ‘encountered’ Gary Usher and his brand (firebrand might be more appropriate) on social media. Follow that name link and you’ll find his most recent manifestation (since March 2019). Previous to that he prowled around the page for his first restaurant at ‘Sticky Walnut’ but has decided to let them run things their own way without interference from him (it might be worth checking in to see how sincere that decision was over the next few weeks!). Gary is offensively sweary and likely to react or over-react far too quickly to situations. He completely redeems himself by also giving constant signals of being a thoroughly fine, caring human being.
The Sticky crew did without Gary on our visit. He was very seriously otherwise engaged at his latest venture, KALA in Manchester (number six in his bistro family). Building an empire of restaurants is no light matter and Gary is keen to make sure that every one of them delivers his carefully worked out plan - to cook and offer food and service which makes people happy. There aren’t all that many places where you’re guaranteed to have the business’s headline chef cooking your dinner. Gary is not going to buck that trend. He spreads his bounty far and wide but ensures that the quality he can deliver is offered by all the rest of his team. He also stands out as one of those chefs with an impressive academic background. Along with Phil Howard graduating in Microbiology and George Blogg in Geology, Gary more than impresses with his own degree in Twitter (First-Class Honours).

Below you’ll find the original heart and soul of Elite Bistros proving that he is held in high regard by his peers. No-one is invited to offer a menu at Northcote Obsession unless they have serious cooking credentials.

All the same I’m guessing that Gary was bricking it ever so slightly on that night and was happy to step away from ‘fayn dayning’ and return to the expression of “honesty, integrity, passion and pride” at one of his own kitchens the following day.

Shouldn’t distract from the main point of this post any longer - the voucher meal we chose to take where it all started in Chester. The website proclaims “Award winning local bistro in the heart of Hoole, serving humble dishes using the best possible ingredients”. Easy to take that to mean the sourcing of quality foodstuff with a bit of ethical consideration for sustainability thrown in. Which would be half the story. And that particular half of the story can be found here.

The other half of the story - the bigger half if you don’t mind mucked up mathematics - is all about being looked after by the best possible people. Gary, the original heart and soul of this business, now has around 150 people in the North West who keep that heart beating and, in our experience, enrich its soul.

The important bit starts here

It wasn’t a particularly busy service. A seven-strong table of birthday celebrants added to the atmosphere but enjoyed their food far too much to set off any complaints from the Noise Abatement Society.

General Manager, Natalia, greeted us with a smile. Nothing flashy apart from that. New customers are an unknown quantity. Plenty of time to find out more about each other. Natalia has all the qualities you might expect from a seasoned member of the hospitality army. She is most definitely practised at the art of reception. I was so calmed by her quiet, friendly manner that I don’t think I said anything daft until at least another half hour had passed. She served us most of our dishes, explaining where necessary and responding to questions with that ease which reassures and builds successful relationships in any situation.

I can’t reference them all by name but the whole Sticky team contributed to our meal wonderfully well. I’ve started at the top of the seniority list with Natalia. Now for someone who had most recently joined the spread of talent on show.

Harry is one of those fine examples of youth who would grace any environment. University has grabbed him for now but fees and fun-filled frolics don’t get paid for without working for a spot of financial support. Sticky Walnut had taken on Harry for a two week placement and discovered a bit of a treasure. Intelligence is a fine attribute but Harry added an oh-so-important extra - his obvious delight in being where he was and doing what he did. He had brought the desserts to our table as Natalia was giving him experience at front of house. Adam (on the left below) was not in the kitchen that evening but, since all hands are visible in the picture, it’s obvious that proper happy smiles are infectious here and not the result of painfully pinched arse cheeks.

Calm, professional service was the order of the day. And when the business of eating was done and with just the account to settle we entered a relaxed phase which is sadly all too often missed in restaurants. Mrs Cheoff plunged into conversation with Natalia while I enjoyed the terrific company of Harry as he extolled the virtues of ‘working’ with such a fine outfit. It was lovely to discover that he had never heard of Raymond Blanc and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. But he could describe kitchen techniques and processes which far too few people, young or old, will ever understand or practise. Talk inevitably got round to the Bistro Behemoth himself. After just one week Harry had identified Gary Usher as the most driven but sympathetic and caring of employers. It’s quite possible that Harry will eventually graduate and pursue a profession other than hospitality. If so, I sincerely hope he finds a boss as generous as the one who has already shown him such a high standard.

Mrs Cheoff caught me up with her conversation as we walked back to our overnight accommodation. Natalia had also confirmed the influence of Gary Usher… predictably but reassuringly good. Our food was temporarily forgotten. We came away with a warm glow which had been generated by being in the company of a team who obviously work hard but who do so with a genuine love of what they do and a huge pride in what they achieve.

There. I’ve given you the supposed top (Natalia) and bottom (Harry) of the Sticky Walnut personnel when we visited. Which makes a nonsense of such supposition. Those two and all others in between were knitted together to give us a top quality experience. The shelf below contains yet one more award in addition to the ones we saw. But we now know that all of those accolades have been earned and are shared by a team who are fabulously qualified to give customers a warm, fuzzy feeling from door entry to wistful departure.

We loved it. We will be back for more.

Ruby Wedding #3 - Family, Friends and Food

It's what we have done for years. Mrs Cheoff was always a terrific cook with the ability to plan, prepare and present great food to a big gathering of people. She has created lovely menus for oodles of special occasions... birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations of all sorts of success and achievement. Sometimes the only excuse was to entertain and please. A fine excuse if you ask me.

Eventually, I wasn't afraid to interfere and contribute.

With our combined love of cooking and the eagerness to share our results it seemed perfectly natural to offer a spot of afternoon delight to treasured family and friends as part of our Ruby Wedding celebrations. We managed to arrange this on the day of our anniversary. A buffet lunch.

After reviewing pictures of the main and dessert tables it behoves me to resort to uncustomary honesty. Both those tables are heaving under the strain of far more of my wife’s work than mine.

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Looking at much of cheoff.com will give you a false impression. Yes, I do often spend time with more demanding recipes but the savoury and sweet spreads shown here represent the bedrock of what has come out of our kitchen for decades.

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From this point on, you are gathered here today to view most of the food items on offer. Links are there for recipes where available. Salads were also homemade and the only one shop-bought ready-made was pork pies from our local Brown’s Family Butchers.

Exceptional gammon with cider and cinnamon 

Shooter’s Roll Our trusty - regularly tried and trusted - M&S cookbook recipe. Like a vulgar sausage roll. One which demands that you embrace any vulgarity after the very first bite!

We are asked for the recipe constantly. Here you go…

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Shooter's Roll from our M&S cook book

Smoked Salmon and Dill Quiche/Tart/Thing Not - by a long shot - the last Delia recipe you will find here!

Coronation Chicken No idea (recollection of) which recipe we used. Perhaps something close to the ‘original’. You surely have your own favourite. It’s been tweaked for decades!

Black Forest Pavlova Three words which say, “EAT ME!”

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Terrine of Summer Fruits From ‘Delia Smith’s Summer Collection’ Made by us since 1993 when the book of the TV series first appeared - a book which was reprinted twelve times in that year!

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Deep Lemon Tart With cream to counteract that awfully sharp lemon attack! #winkemoji

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Wimbledon Cheesecake This was a baked variety which followed swiftly on from the second time Andy Murray had lifted ‘The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World’ trophy ten days before. Sorbet, ice cream and meringues* were all there if needed to help this go down the better. Ooh, oooh, I made two out of three of those!
*’Merigues’ according to our typo label!

Just ‘cake’ to finish.
My rich fruit cake richly decorated by Mrs Cheoff. Mrs Cheoff’s sponge cake with a restrained seasonal ‘coronet’.

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Rather like the aftermath of Christmas cooking, our anniversary efforts for family and friends left us with extras which lasted well beyond the day itself.

Other options - outside caterers, hospitality venues and the like - were available. We chose the cheaper and totally daft alternative. Without any regrets. All the work put in had left us a little weary but, rather like the effort put into our forty (and a bit) year relationship, a tiredness overlaid with huge satisfaction and happiness. With hardly any regrets!
-xx-

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Savoury and Dessert labels by Mrs Cheoff

I'll drift off now into a reverie filled with nostalgia. I prefaced a short speech to our assembled guests by accessing and playing a recording of this piece of music. It's the tune to which Jan entered the church on our wedding day...

website http://www.gertvanhoef.nl/. Water Music of Wassermusik is een van de bekendste composities van Georg Friedrich Händel. Hij schreef deze in opdracht van een diplomaat, baron Von Kielmansegg, om op 17 juli 1717 uitgevoerd te worden ter gelegenheid van een boottocht op de Theems. 'Alla Hornpipe' een prachtig deel uit deze Watermusic, wordt hier uitgevoerd door Gert van Hoef tijdens zijn concert in Harlingen.

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“Phwoooar!” he ejaculated.
(I do hope readers will recognise my old-fashioned turn of phrase. I remain a devotee of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Doctor Watson. And a permanently big fan of Mrs. G!)