Newsletter - February 2008
Dear All Saints eaters
If you've been to All Saints lately and wondered who the
two dishevelled looking men were huddled up in the corner,
worry not: Dean (our chef-manager) and I have been deep in
discussion coming up with new yummy dishes to add to the All
Saints menu.
And so we are happy to introduce our new breakfast
menu, designed to put a perk into your step in the
morning.
We'll be serving up hazelnut &apple muesli
(an authentic Swiss recipe featuring grated apple, Neal's
Yard Greek-style yoghurt, oats, hazelnuts, honey and local
apple juice), eggy bread with maple syrup and Tudge's
bacon (using free range eggs from Wynne's of Dinmore),
scrambled eggs and smoked salmon from the
Black Mountains smokery, and bacon butties
on our own bread.
Breakfast items will be on the menu from next week, served
from 8am to 11.30am Monday to Saturday
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We are hoping to run an introductory wine tasting
course at All Saints in the near future on weekday
evenings (probably with some food to eat as well). If you
would be interested in coming to such a course then email
Dean at All Saints – dean@billscafes.co.uk
and we will be in touch with more details shortly.
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We often get people coming to All Saints wanting to find
out more about the Church and its history. In answer to this
we've put together a list of 10 interesting facts
about the ancient church on the website – log onto http://www.cafeatallsaints.co.uk/Bill-AS-church.htm
to read more (scroll all the way to the bottom).
----
Readers of Herefordshire Life will have
noticed my new column where, each month, I'll be cooking up
dishes using the season's best local ingredients. One of my
favourite recipes from last month's magazine is now a steady
All Saints favourite – herrings in oatmeal with cabbage
and bacon.
In case you missed it, here's a recap:
HerrIngs in oatmeal served with cabbage and bacon
might also be good with curly kale and sardines
In landlocked Herefordshire one thing we can't source locally
is sea fish, but we do have a really excellent local fishmonger
in David Benjamin of Herefor'’s Buttermarket. Like all
good fishmongers David and his staff will prepare your fish
however you want it and unless you're particularly expert
at dealing with bones on your plate I strongly recommend you
get your herring filleted. We generally get both herring and
mackerel butterfly-filleted which looks good when cooked.
This is a truly fantastic and extremely simple dish which
we are now serving regularly at All Saints - and one which
earned us one of the most enthusiastic customer emails we’ve
ever received! I got the idea from Jane Grigson’s great
Fish Book – but it's apparently a very traditional Scottish
dish. The coarse oatmeal gives a delicious crunchy texture.
The cabbage mixture can be prepared a little in advance and
then re-heated, but the fish must be cooked when everyone
is ready to eat.
Using really good bacon, like that produced by the Tudge
family, makes a huge difference. They don't sell back and
streaky bacon separately but lovely long rashers that start
off meaty and end up streaky – perfect for this dish.
You need a really big pan for frying the herring –
and even then you will probably only fit in two at a time.
So to serve 4 people at precisely the same moment you will
need two great big pans. Alternatively, just serve two people
at a time
4 good rashers (approx 200g) smoked bacon, de-rinded
and chopped finely
1 big or 2 very small green cabbages (approx 600g),
finely sliced
juice of a ½ a lemon |
4 herrings, butterfly filleted
a small amount of coarse oatmeal – also known
as 'pinhead' oatmeal
salt and freshly ground back pepperl |
lemon wedges for garnish |
| |
1. In a large pan, slowly fry the bacon pieces until
just going crisp. Leave in the pan with their fat. |
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil.
Add the shredded cabbage and cook very briefly –
a minute for tender sweetheart cabbage or Primo, a bit
longer for Savoy or darker greens – and then drain
thoroughly. Toss the drained cabbage in the fried bacon,
bacon fat and lemon juice. Season with some freshly
ground black pepper – you won't need any salt
if you're using decent bacon. |
3. Prepare the herring fillets by coating in oatmeal,
well seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. |
4. When it's nearly time to eat, heat a large non-stick
frying pan until quite hot with a little bacon fat.
Put the fillets in and cook for 3-4 minutes on a medium
heat and then turn. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the second
side. |
5. When the herring is nearly cooked, heat up the
cabbage mixture if necessary and serve on hot plates. |
If you're really hungry you may want to serve with some good
bread or - as we do at All Saints - with a few little rosemary
roast potatoes.
Till next time,
Bill Sewell
Director, Café at All Saints
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