Category Archives: Pop up Supper Club

Surrey Spice

The upside: Delicious authentic Indian curries hand made by chef and storyteller Mandira who grew up on a tea plantation in her native India

The downside: No turning back after trying these dishes

The flipside: Available from farm shops and independent food retailers in Surrey

Mandira Sarkar is the creative force behind Surrey Spice. A management consultant, she worked in the public sector for many years helping organisations become more streamlined and productive. After her last large project with Guildford Borough Council ended, Mandira felt is was time to stand back and do something creative and more hands on. A love of her family’s cuisine and treasured handed down recipes inspired her to launch a calendar of pop up supper clubs. I was invited to one of the first she hosted with some other local food writers. Her supper clubs are all themed by festivals and ours for the evening was Holi the festival of colours. We were treated to a fabulous evening of Indian food and storytelling. The dishes were pure bliss, no overpowering chili hit, absolutely no puddles of oil just fragrant aromatic spices and complimentary textures. The desserts were amazing too. However whilst the food was as good as anything I have eaten in Singapore’s Little India (perhaps even better) it was really the delightful rhetoric from Mandira during the meal that made the evening sparkle.

A natural host Mandira embellished our evening with background information of each dish, a family party, watching her mother in the kitchen or a snippet of information about the festival. Holi commemorates the victory of good over evil, which culminates in the burning and destruction of a female demon named Holika.

Holi got its name as the “Festival of Colors” from Lord Krishna, a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, who liked to play pranks on the village girls by drenching them in water and coloured powdered paint. The festival always held at the end of February or early March also marks the start of summer season. By the end of the evening the food entwined with vivid descriptions we almost felt we had been there ourselves. If Dev Patel had danced into the room none of us would have been at all surprised.

This was in February 2015 and I have followed Mandira on social media seeing her business grow. Supper clubs, while great for the guests are hard work and difficult to make a living from but great for getting your expertise recognised. Mandira had also started to offer take away food for pick up on Fridays from her home in Guildford too. Her supper clubs have popped up at local award winning distillery Silent Pool with Bollywood themed evenings and at Cellar Wines in Ripley, boutique wine shop and deli with a full events calendar. Cookery courses and bespoke catering are also on offer. In fact this entrepreneur has been so active that she has also been a finalist at the Surrey Life Food & Drink Awards for Food Innovation.

More recently Mandira decided the time was right to sell her freezer ready meals to farm shops and delicatessens. Making these fresh to order she delivers either fresh or ready frozen and she already has a keen following. There are so many Indian ready meals in supermarkets that Mandira fully supports her retailers by offering tasting events. These are a huge success as once bitten its difficult to resist the charms of these authentic dishes. After trying them myself I was delighted to get the opportunity to see them being made and hopefully get some trade secrets.

I arrived on a cold morning to watch the magic happen in this Surrey kitchen. Mandira has managed to find a lady from Goa to help her prepare her wonderful dishes and another helper was on hand to help pack. On arrival the kitchen was in full production, huge wooden spoons were used to stir giant pans of dhal and Dhania Kugu Murgh (chicken with cashew nuts and coriander). A curious machine was whirring on the work surface and from the aroma I could tell I was in curry nirvana. I was astonished at the amount of detail that goes into the dishes. No jar of Balti curry paste has ever been welcome in this kitchen. Instead the dishes are all authentic regional recipes which are made exactly as they would be in Indian homes. Mandira explains that dishes like tandoori chicken masala don’t exist in India but her dishes Xacutti chicken and Meen Moilee do.

I watched the Dhania Kagu Murgh (chicken in a delicate sauce of cashews, coriander and coconut) being created from chopped skinless chicken thigh meat, fresh coconut and coriander . Thigh meat is a preferred cut for traditionalists as its more tender and juicy than chicken breast ( a sentiment I found when I lived in Taiwan too). The curious whirring machine it turns out is a stone grinder for spices. Used in modern Indian kitchens and powered by electricity, Mandira had it bought to the UK by a friend in her suitcase. The only recognisable part of this machine is the name Prestige but its essential for the texture it creates when it grinds ingredients. In the machine I witnessed fried onions being ground with fresh coconut. The resulting pulp seasons and thickens the gravy. Using fresh coconut is essential says this chef whose attention to detail is emerging fully here. It is apparently, this way can you recreate the level of flavour and texture desired in the dish.

After this dish was made a second went into production Chicken Xacutti for whom a whole bowl of Kashmiri red chilli that had been steeped in water was ground with coconut too. A batch of Lehsuni Dal (yellow lentils cooked in caramelised garlic) was ready to portion up but first we sampled a small bowl each. Satisfying, spicy, smooth and aromatic it’s a delight to find such brilliant Indian food being made locally. Mandira sources her ingredients from a local Indian food retailer who also has a butchers counter so her business supports other local food businesses too. Currently there are ten dishes available in the ready meal range one of which is a Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cooked in spinach which is the best I have ever tried.

 

I highly recommend these new freezer ready meals. They are beautifully cooked in small batches in a spotlessly clean kitchen. The effort and expertise that goes into their production is hard to beat and the recipes are totally authentic. In addition they are all gluten free and contain no preservative. Its just really good food!

Mandira’s amazing food is currently for sale in several farm shops in Surrey and a full list can be found on the Surrey Spice website.

www.surreyspice.com

Tel: 07876135096

Email info@surreyspice.com

Natter Cafe

67 St. Johns Street. Farncombe, GU7 3EH

 An award winning cafe where owner Kay has created a wonderful eating and meeting space, for the local community.

The Upside: Gorgeous coffee, freshly prepared traditional all day breakfasts, contemporary salads, savouries and freshly baked cakes.

The downside: This café is so busy you need to book in advance to guarantee a lunchtime table. It’s closed in the evening but they do run events.

The flipside: Buy tickets for one of their infamous supper clubs where you can BYO and indulge in some great food at prices that won’t break the bank.

Natter café is the type of success story I would wish for any new independent starting up in this challenging market. Winner of the Muddy Stilettos best cafe in Surrey award I can tell you why this business is making waves!

Kay is the creative force behind the Natter Café and her story starts with coffee beans. Her original foray into coffee was stall in Guildford’s North Street Market which she started with a business partner in 2002. They parted company but the stall was very successful and its still at the market today. Kay’s passion for coffee retailing saw her start a coffee van service and a kiosk at Farncombe station. Her standards of service are legendary. Ring the kiosk from your mobile and they will have a latte and a bacon butty ready to pass to you on the platform as your train passes through.

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Adoring customers always asked Kay when she was going to open a café. It wasn’t she says really on her radar, but when friend and estate agent John suggested a property he had would be perfect for this purpose it was a defining moment. Going on holiday the next day she had time to think it through and the rest is history. Kay is really pleased she took the plunge. Its clear she has really invested in this business the premises have been refurbished to a high standard and the result is a really lovely comfortable space.

Coffee comes from a roaster in Winchester and Kay uses single origin estate for filter coffee, which is brewed at your table. You can choose from single or double shots (from £1.50). Teas are from Canton teas known for their delicious blends many of them from Taiwan (from £2.50).

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Food is also freshly prepared on site apart from some of the cakes, which are made by local producers. Since opening Kay has never had to advertise for staff. She has she says been lucky enough to have lots of locals (mums, students, teenagers) regularly popping in asking for work. In addition she also has lots of expert cake makers offering to supply her too! I expect the welcoming warm space Kay has created has everything to do with this.

Food is prepared by two chefs in a compact kitchen hence the need to buy in cakes but also because this café is always busy. Come late for lunch and expect to wait for a table. Kay and her team have the formula just right here. A core menu with breakfasts and sandwiches are complimented by seasonal specials. Expect soup in the winter and salads in the summer. A full English breakfast with local butcher Wakelings sausages is £8.75 and a generous plateful. For smaller people or appetites you can go for a half size portion at £5.75 (I wish more eateries did this). Smoked salmon bagels are also on offer at £5.00.

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Arriving for lunch I ordered a salad of the specials board. It was a warmish autumnal day so it was a toss up between that or roasted carrot and butternut squash soup. The salad won as my favourites were featured here; beetroot, rocket, pine nut and feta with salad leaves and a light tasty dressing. I have a pet hate of salad leaves served naked (read my article here) but these were perfectly dressed. My plus one had bacon muffins with melted brie and salad, which he said was tasty, light and gooey. I didn’t really get a look in there but I trust his judgement.

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We were too full for cakes but we did have coffee, which was full flavoured and served really hot. We watched the other customers around us being served equally good-looking plates of food.

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I love this café its got good coffee and food at its core. Kay supports other locals by procuring her stock from them wherever possible (produce from the local greengrocer and meat from Wakelings and Black Barn)  and she provides local employment too. Her staff recently for her birthday treated her to a day spa when she thought she was just going to work. I think that says it all!

Go and give Natter a whirl – opening hours and menu on the website- link below.

01483 421303
and also at Farncombe Station on Platform 1 GU7 3NF / 07531 018190

 

The Steak Stones Sizzle Club

Main Event: A red-hot lava stone eating experience

Is it worth the calories? With rising obesity rates dominating the press an opportunity to eat healthily scores high here.

We love dinner! So when Nick Metcalf and guest chef Jaqueline Wise invited us to their unique supper club we eagerly obliged. Being included in a party of food professionals we happily caught up with some old friends and made some new ones too.

Sizzle Club Menu

Steak stones are natural lava rock, cut and sanded smooth for cooking. Used in top restaurants globally they sounded like a bit of a gimmick. But what makes them unique is their ability to hold their temperature for prolonged period. Chilled stones are  glazed and useful for keeping desserts, cold cuts or even sushi cool while heated stones are perfect for tabletop and outdoor cooking.

To promote his lava stones Nick has a private dining room in Reigate where he hosts regular supper clubs. This allows him to showcase his products, get valuable feedback and spread the word. On arrival at the event bubbly and a range of tapas from local independent delicatessen, Cullenders, were served. Dinner followed in a dedicated dining room and here the fun started. We were all served thick-cut fillet steaks with chunky chips, asparagus and cherry tomatoes. A health warning, not to touch the stones with inquisitive fingers, was strategically flagged and good job too, these stones heated to 350c demand respect. The thick fillet steaks were from butchers, Aubrey Allen, who source grass-fed dry-aged beef. The steaks were big but you don’t get the benefit of this cooking platform with anything smaller.

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It turns out that eating from a sizzling lava stone is an exothermic experience particularly suited to a wintery night. Having wondered what benefit this heat retaining rock might bring to the table can now be shared. You get a hunk of tasty meat that changes character during the meal plus its gets hotter as you eat. This works because the meat is only turned once and doesn’t move during the process. You can cut a slice off and press it into the stone to achieve your preferred level of ‘doneness’. You are in complete control throughout. The accompanying vegetables can also get the same treatment. Mulling back to previous steak dinners that have congealed on the plate, or worse, a chopping board (who ever thought that was a good idea?) gives this format extra points.

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Steaks finished we waxed lyrical about our meal and agreed that it was the perfect  cooking platform for top quality meat. We could see that using this for salmon, scallops and other solid protein sources would be just as effective.

steak_stones_dessert_6x9Steak stones cleared away we finished with coffee a dessert of lemon and elderflower sponge with a hot caramel sauce.

Lava stones are available on line from Nicks shop and he has a range of packages for restaurant. It’s the larger commercial market that this company is primarily interested in but they are also keen to sell online to individuals in single units. This is a great gift for meat lovers and given that there is some fabulous local beef on offer in Surrey it’s a perfect match.

0800 1777 577

www.steakstones.com

Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee

Mushroom paté

We served this rich meaty vegan paté at our pop-up café last June on our vegetarian Surrey Platters. Much lower fat than meat based paté makes it a healthy option too. Providing you use some field mushrooms in your mix you will achieve the rich coloured mix shown here. Use a low salt yeast extract at it develops the meaty flavour without escalating the sodium content.

Ingredientsmushroom_pate_6x9
2 tablespoons olive oil
100g butter or vegan margarine
2 red onions, finely diced
4 cloves crushed garlic
500g field mushrooms, finely diced
50g mixed dried wild mushrooms, soaked in enough boiling water to cover
1 teaspoon low salt yeast extract, mix with the mushroom water
2 dessertspoons fresh chopped mixed herbs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g fresh brown breadcrumbs
Some fresh herbs to garnish

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan with a lid. Sweat the onions and garlic until softened and ever so slightly browned. Add the diced fresh and dried mushrooms to the pan and cook with the lid on stirring occasionally for 5 minutes over a low heat. Mix the yeast extract with the reserved soaking water from the dried mushrooms, add to the pan with the herbs and cook gently for a further five minutes.Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Allow to cool, then pulse the mixture in a food processor for a few seconds. Mix thoroughly, adjust the seasoning and place in a serving dish. Garnish with fresh herbs and chill until required.

If you don’t have a food processor just very finely chop the ingredients before cooking.

Serve as a starter or light lunch with salad or use as a sandwich filling.

Download the  recipe for Mushroom Pate

mushroom pate

Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee