Archives for category: Retail

Going green…grocer

May 24, 2014 //

I love it when you have a great retail experience and that’s just what I had this week.

Increasingly I find it is those shops that deliver a classic old fashioned service that really connects with me rather than supermarkets or indeed the more fabricated, trendy ones. There is a push, which is often attributed to Mary Portas, to rediscover the traditional high street and whilst I would contest that the lovely Mary has merely jumped onto the band wagon, it is true that the butcher, baker and candlestick maker really is the way to connect us back to shopping, especially with food.

When I moved out to Surrey from London I wanted to find all the local shops that would bring the county and its food to my fridge. But the sad truth is that they are not embracing the opportunities all that well. I guess this is why I was so overjoyed to find a local fruit and veg stall, popping up every Wednesday and Saturday in the car park of the local Hillier garden centre.

Run by a local family, the greengrocer stall is created from produce which Dad buys from the London markets at 4am so that he can bring the freshest produce and get it back in time to sell. The whole family get involved from that point on creating a really classic fruit & veg stall with colourful merchandising, traditional tickets and a feature to the best of seasonal British produce. This week that included asparagus, strawberries, jersey royals and the first English broad beans. Yum.

The icing on the cake and funnily enough the thing that touched me most was the service given at the tillpoint. There was a real energy at the till with Mum, son and daughter all engaging well and moving the rush of people through efficiently. And to top the whole thing off was the offer of bag or box. Opting for the latter, my produce was handled with the utmost care placed beautifully, standing upright to attention and presented to me as a boxed gift of fresh loveliness. It was carried to my car and when I got it home, I couldn’t help but smile.

One of the most wonderful things I bought back was locally grown rocket which had the most incredible hit of pepper and was just fabulous. I wanted to make something that would celebrate the ingredient, so created a typically me-dish by making a pesto incorporating the rocket with salty pecorino, toasted pine nuts, garlic and really great olive oil. I mixed that through spaghetti and topped with even more rocket, cheese and some sweet chunks of quality tomatoes. A vibrant tasty meal which showcased wonderful produce from great greengrocers.

Tags fruit & veg stall, greengrocer, pesto, rocket, seasonal produce

Categories Food, Retail

Smokin’ hot

May 11, 2014 //

M and I had a day trip yesterday popping back to where she used to live and discovering one of her favourite places, which incidentally used to sell her cheese when she lived locally.

Severn and Wye Smokery is located just west of Gloucester, sitting nonchalantly in the middle of the A48. It has a very unassuming frontage but clearly those in the know have sussed this place years ago and many, including M, have brought produce here to be smoked for them.The smokery operates in a traditional style using local wood and the product is handled very well to get that fine balance of depth of flavour into all that they do. They are well known for their smoked eel and of course smoked salmon, curing literally thousands each week and benefiting from the quality wild salmon in the local river Severn.

Severn & Wye fish counter featuring local Var salmon

The shop itself is centred around a overly dominant counter that for me has too much going on, but clearly it is the fish counter and smoked fish that is the showcase. Here the displays are traditional and eye catching with fresh fish laid proud with a glint in their eye and a shine in their scales. All proof that it is fresh and wonderful.

A fish counter at San Sebastian’s La Bretxa market show how much more can be added to displays with wooden boxes, oranges and bottles of wine to inspire

It made me think back to the fish counters I saw recently in San Sebastian and honestly, I think there are some lessons to be taken from there, but you can’t fault the quality and the freshness on display. It’s just that the Spanish understand how to make a piece of fish a meal, so they include things like lemons, oranges, samphire and even bottles of wine in their fish counters.

Keeping it open and real

Back at Severn and Wye, little windows to the back show the teams working tirelessly to manage the volume of fish in production checking for bones etc. which may be a bit factory-esque but for me it was refreshing to keep everything open to the public and for us to see what it takes to make such a good product.

A showcase platter with signature smoked salmon and eel presented beautifully for lunch

Clearly the fashion in smoking is not going anywhere fast. The process has been around for generations as a way of preserving all sorts of things but particularly meat & fish. Many classic dishes have centred around smoked fish ingredients and it was lovely to see these on the cafe menu including a signature kedgeree which is a favourite of mine. Smoked products used to be associated with the cheaper end of the market until clever chefs realised just how wonderful that deep smokey flavour was and how much it enhances dishes. The traditional US BBQ has always understood that smoking adds so much more and of course ingredients like chipotle has been used for generations in Mexico. Smoking is also a technique that the Scandinavians have long developed for all their wonderful fish and we had the most fabulous smoked prawns served simply in a paper bag when we were in Stockholm.

Simply delicious smoked prawns served at Pumpen, the casual eatery at Oaxen

Now there are restaurants dedicated to all things smoked (see Etxebarri that I recently wrote about) including smoked butters, ice creams and smokey mash.

Even at home, there are more and more opportunities to play with both hot and cold smoking with some great domestic machines. Plus lots of different wood chips to meet your flavour preference. And if you are not yet up to it, then these bags are an easy cheats alternative.

However, yesterday, we left it to the experts and bought a few things back with us. Smoked salmon of course. Smoked ham. Smoked garlic. Today, that ham went on top of my favourite chicory recipe which has been previously featured in this blog. Lunch was a yummy dish with memories of a wonderful day out west. Thanks M.

Beautifully caramelised chicory to bring out the sweetness

Tags BBQ, chipotle, Etxebarri, La Bretxa, Severn and Wye smokery, smoked eel, smoked salmon, smoking

Categories Recipes, Restaurants, Retail, Uncategorized

Sweet Streets of Food

March 27, 2014 //

When I travel I like to plot my list of food shops to visit on a map so that I can focus my energies in the right areas. You generally find that there are some key streets or areas that become the focus for great food places and once you wander around you find others to inspire as well.

In London, my favourite is Marylebone High Street, closely followed by Columbia Road on a Sunday. It’s Abbot Kinney in LA, La Boqueria in Barcelona and a tour of the vineyards off the beaten track in Cape Town. You get the idea.

This weekend, we were at lunching at friends who live in Clapham and it’s not generally an area I know well. But I have read about many places that seem to centre around Northcote Road and my cake-making crony was waxing lyrical about a new patisserie that had opened on her doorstep, so I went to investigate before lunch. She was right – this is one to add to your food discoveries.

Firstly, all the craft trades are well represented on the Northcote Road, with butchers (Dove & Hennessy’s), bakers (Breadstall) and cheesemongers (Hamish Johnston) all doing a great job along with the historic market which dates back to the 1860’s. But more interestingly is the fact that many new concepts are launched here. The original Jamie Oliver’s Recipease was created nearby on St John’s Road and Franco Manca is a centrally situated serving up their signature sourdough pizzas which was the first outpost of the original Brixton Village pizzeria.

Queuing for the marvellous meringues

The new place to discover is Aux Merveilleux de Fred. You can read about the history of these creations on their website, but needless to say, there is a very good reason why they translate into ‘wonderful’. The concept originated in Lille and now has two outlets in London, the second one here almost on the doorstep of my friend’s house! Here you have two perfect meringues bound together with cream and coated into a perfect ball of sweetness that seem to be incredibly popular, if you note the queue of people waiting to pay £1.70 for a mouthful of meringue. They are created in front of the customer and make the most perfect gift with beautiful boxes just like all the best French patisseries.

Les Merveilleux assembled front of house for all to see

A wonderful meringue, made at home

Luckily enough, my friend is in her own right an award winning cake maker and she told me very clearly not to buy anything from there as she had made her own, so after an indulgent long lunch we were treated to her version which disappeared in a melting moment. When you are as talented as she is, you too would conclude that you could do it yourself for a much better price, but my skills are not in that league, so know that you can find Fred’s on the Northcote Road or in South Kensington!

These meringues are only one of a few French patisserie outlets that have crept over the pond recently. The other one I have visited in the past weeks is La Patisserie des Reves at the top of Marylebone High Street (my fave – remember). This is an impressive shop with bold domes of patisserie screaming from the central table, although I have it on good authority that the pastries are not baked fresh, but only baked off, so not as wonderful as their Parisian counterparts.

Clever domes of patisserie grace the central table here

Nevertheless, they are pretty impressive and sit alongside the revival of doughnuts, the cronut imposters, the macarons and all the other classic French pastries that have been inspired by our renewed interest in baking. Thanks Mary Berry. We like this fashion and look forward to ever more concepts travelling across the channel.

A dome of Tarte Tatin

Tags Abbot Kinney, Aux Merveilleux de Fred, Franco Manca, Hamish Johnston, La Boqueria, La Patisserie des Reves, Marylebone High Street, Northcote Road, Recipease

Categories Food, Gifting, Retail

Adventures in Amsterdam

March 16, 2014 //

I have just returned from a long weekend in Amsterdam. This was my first time there and it was great to share it with my Dutch friend who showed me a insiders guide to the city.

It really is a beautiful place with lots of streets over the bridges to browse and little places to discover plus loads more that I am sure I missed. You feel a real sense of history here with the old Dutch buildings lining the canals and the sandy ground giving way underneath resulting in some precarious abodes.

We went on a bit of a research trip and it was fascinating to see just how far the international brands predominate. It is difficult to discover anything new when the streets are lined with the same places you see internationally across all ends of the retail spectrum from Hugo Boss to MacDonalds. I also wanted to see how the design was influenced locally and once again was disappointed to see so many cafes and eateries conforming to the same pseudo industrial look that pervades so many cities nowadays. We pondered what the new look should be, as I am a little bored of chalkboards, upcycled lights with Edison bulbs and recycled wooden crates.

The 2012 showcase Starbucks

Mind you, it was refreshing to see for myself the showcase Starbucks that was designed in 2012 as the precursor to more individual and less branded coffee shop chains. The attention to design was refreshing picking up on local Dutch cues and even two years later, it is cosy and inviting.

SLA’s salad bar is encapsulated in a glass free conservatory feel frame

Decor is pared back and natural and the kitchen is open to peak into keeping that natural honest tone

Decor is pared back & natural and the rear kitchen is open to peak into keeping that natural honest tone

There were two outlets that particularly inspired us. Firstly SLA. It means salad and is indeed a salad bar. I am told that the Dutch approach healthy food in a more holistic way. They better understand grains, superfoods and often link spirituality with healthy eating. SLA encapsulated these principles without falling foul of being too worthy. They just kept everything clean and simple in design. The menu is small: soup, salads, juices & sweets made in their kitchen and there is a good make-your-own section allowing you to pick and choose what you want, from the leaf & veg, to the grain, the dressing and the toppings. The choice of grain include things like black quinoa and amaranth. The choice of home-made dressings include superfood ingredients such as spirulina, pomegranate vinegar and spelt syrup. They are all tasty and healthy at the same time, which can sometimes challenge even the best cooks. We came away believing this concept would go down well in yummy mummy land.

Each counter merchandises a different recipe and recipes are changed weekly

The other place that was new to me was Bilder & de Clercq. They tell me that this concept was inspired by a place that the owners saw in Berlin but whatever the driver was, it is interesting to see this retail outlet made up of bespoke counters that pull together ingredients for different dishes. Recipes are printed on easy to follow leaflets and ingredients are weighed out, assuming an element of store cupboard ingredients will be at home. Everything you could possibly need to make the dish is merchandised on each counter including kitchen utensils, recommended wine matches and of course the product itself, both chilled and ambient.

Simple signage and clean VM make it easy to shop including the wine recommendations and any store cupboard ingredients you may need to top up with

I think it was the care and attention to the visual merchandising that really clinched it for me. Whether I would spend that sort of money on a meal that I still have to make at home is another thing, but clearly enough people are buying into the concept as it recently expanded to two outlets. I am sure as convenience continues to be a key driver that more cities will develop this idea.

La Place is still worth a look and see

Other retail offerings that were worth a nose are La Place which looks a little tired so many years on but still shows the potential for a fresh food offering with open production, simple counters and made-to-order service. There are also a couple of PapaBubble shops in town. And you really have to go and see the hammock shop at the flower market. Sadly, I couldn’t squeeze one into my hand luggage!

Lovely jars of pesto, mustard etc. are refilled by regular locals

The weekend markets remind me just how good organic produce can be presented. And the green footprint is enhanced with fill your own stalls of condiments, milk and yogurt. Lovely old pottery pickling jars of home-made pesto make the best of the herbs and it is common practice to bring your own jars to be filled. All very lovely.

Harking back to the pancake houses of old…

Restaurant wise: we didn’t get to De Kas so I will have to go back for that one. We really wanted to eat the local specialities, by visiting Brown Cafes, partaking in Dutch apple pie, croquettes and also pancakes. I went to the oldest pancake house in town: “Upstairs Pannekoekenhuis“. The vertiginous stairs take you up to a tiny little room that has been serving pancakes made on two gas rings since 1962 in this typical Amsterdam house dating back to 1539. They say this is the smallest restaurant in Europe with only 4 tables so it is advisable to book, although I managed to get a seat at the counter giving me prime viewing of the kitchen and the cook.

Amsterdam is highly recommended and a place I know I will return to so that I can discover even more.

Tags Amsterdam, Bilder & de Clercq, De Kas, Dutch design, Dutch pancakes, La Place, organic markets, Pannekoekhuis, Papabubble, SLA, Starbucks, superfoods

Categories Recipes, Restaurants, Retail

Going green…grocer

Smokin’ hot

Sweet Streets of Food

Adventures in Amsterdam

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