A Cornish brew - England's only estate tea

The South West is the home of the cream tea and it can now be enjoyed at a whole host of locations in the region with a truly English cuppa.

England’s first tea estate at Tregothnan, in Cornwall, takes advantage of the mild climate and humidity to grow Chinese and Indian leaf tea which is hand-picked from April to October and blended with other exotic leaves to make four different varieties (Classic, Afternoon, Earl Grey and Green).

The tea plantation is the idea of the estate owner, the Honourable Evelyn Boscawen. Cultivation began nine years ago and has been increasingly bearing fruit since 2005. Last year produced just under a tonne of tea.

“We can’t compete with the Tropics but the conditions are similar to those for a high-altitude, slow growing tea like Darjeeling,” says Jonathon Jones, garden director at Tregothnan.

Following in the footsteps of specialty tea shops in London, such as Tea Smith in Spitalfields and Tea Palace in Notting Hill, the estate is now offering day-long tea tasting courses run by expert tutors Tim Clifton and Jane Pettigrew.

“We drink 165 million cups a day in the UK and don’t think about it much. Like wine, each tea is distinctive, has regional varieties and there are stacks of myths,” says Jones.

The estate also makes an iced Earl Grey tea using its own well water and a range of new herbal infusions, including Manuka Bush, a tea popular with the Maori people in New Zealand.

“What could be more English than tea grown on English soil,” says Jones, who claims that Tregothnan has been “doing sustainability” since 1335 when it came into the hands of Boscawen’s ancestors.

Of the 80 or so places serving a Tregothnan brew in Devon and Cornwall, Jones recommends a cream tea at Charlotte’s Tea House in Truro or Greys Dining Room in Totnes, Devon.

So is coffee next?

“I won’t rule it out. We could grow it indoors. But it’s not as English as tea.”

For more information on Tregothnan estate: (01872 520007; http://www.blogger.com/)

The English Riviera Cream Tea Festival runs from April 18-23: www.englishriviera.co.uk

A taste of Manchester's food scene

Historically, articles about eating out in Northern England written by London-based journalists have fallen into two categories. The first portrays it as grim up north and a decade behind London in culinary terms; while the second claims that no one eats out anyway for that would be an expensive diversion from the serious business of getting glammed up for a night of high-octane drinking.

It’s true you won’t find a Michelin starred establishment in Manchester city centre – the nearest was Juniper in Altrincham until that closed down last month. But according to Alison Seagrave, head chef at the Second Floor restaurant and brasserie at Harvey Nichols, in Exchange Square, there’s ample Michelin-star standard food to be had, some of it at sub-capital prices.

“Foodwise, Manchester used to be years behind London but we’ve caught up lately in terms of choice and reliable local suppliers. To win a star you have to set that as a goal. It’s judged on many different criteria from the service to the cooking and some of our dishes are Michelin star in all but name,” says Seagrave.

In her restaurant, the slow cooked fillet of Cheshire beef Rossini and the playful sweetshop inspired desserts explain why Seagrave was chosen as Chef of the Year at the 2007 Manchester Food and Drink Festival awards.

“Beef fillet always sells well, even if you serve it with weird ingredients,” she says. “But then so does our corned beef hash served with a fried egg and brown sauce. It’s comfort food basically.” Food to be scoffed not scoffed at.

On the brasserie menu at seven quid a pop is a mini hotpot served in a souffle dish and accompanied by finely shredded pickled red cabbage. It looks good and tastes even better.
“I’ll often have one of these for my tea,” says Seagrave.

She rates the new Michael Caines restaurant that opened at the ABode Manchester hotel on Piccadilly in March and the River Restaurant at the Lowry hotel in Salford – now under a new chef - in the same stellar category as her own restaurant.

Caines, who already holds two stars for his flagship Gidleigh Park in Devon, is on a mission to bring a Michelin star to Manchester. His contemporary British menu (best-end of Herdwick lamb and honey-roast Goosnargh duckling) features international touches (the slow poached sea bass comes with a Thai puree and lemongrass foam) and is keen on the best regional ingredients. A clever lunchtime grazing concept allows diners to taste three mini dishes from the a la carte menu for under a tenner.

According to Manchester’s most-read food and drink blogger Sarah Hartley (http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/food/) the city doesn’t have big destination restaurants like London, partly because there’s not a sizeable over-50s spend at the weekend. The “Silver diners” prefer to eat out in the neighbourhood restaurants in leafy West Didsbury and Chorlton or further afield in Cheshire and Lancashire.

For more casual dining in town Sam’s Chophouse is a perennial favourite with its cosy basement glow and Great British seasonal menu.

For feel-good refuelling between shops and sights Love Saves the Day, a deli beneath a railway arch at the south end of Deansgate, lives up to the expectations of its flashing neon “sexy food” sign out front. On the menu are home-cooked meatballs, lamb shanks, salads, its own pickles and beer – a North West Fine Food winner last year – plus monthly tastings including, in May, artisan honey and vegetarian black pudding.

Local lunchtime institution Shlurp! is tucked away beneath an office block just off Albert Square. From a tiny canteen, its walls garlanded with awards and glowing reviews, it serves soups from gazpacho to thick mushy pea and lamb kofta with mint raita – Manchester in a bowl. And how’s this for a sandwich of the day? Fresh sardines roasted in garlic and olive oil.

Another lunchtime classic is This ‘n’ That on Soap Street in the trendy Northern Quarter whose “rice and three” (curries) is part of the local furniture as testified by its cult-like Facebook group. Fans swear it’s the best food for under a fiver in Britain.

The garish, student-crawling Curry Mile is part of Manchester’s culinary fabric but a bit of a lottery. Hartley recommends the Punjab for its interesting range of vegetarian dishes and its low-style old-school ambience. In Chinatown she opts for Red Chilli over Yang Sing for the adventurous Cantonese dishes on the a la carte menu.

Finally, for a pre-dinner drink take the exclusive lift to the 23rd floor of the Hilton at Deansgate. The lanky Beetham Tower that houses the hotel has its fair share of opponents but the views from the Cloud 23 bar are unparalleled and the cocktails pretty good. Try an Ena Sparkles as you seek out Coronation Street below.

Kennett Square

Anyone that's read about food in the last year knows about Talula's Table. Featuring a single, farmhouse table that seats 12, reservations are available for exactly one year in advance -- and sell out for that date each morning. Having memorized the number to the French Laundry at one point for an upcoming trip (I never got through), I am wary of the restaurant-as-sold-out-concert- tickets. This instinct, however, is also balanced by my need to never to be left out. I was hoping to find a compromise in driving there and shopping Talula's prepared foods.

In a nutshell, I was disappointed. Their seemingly dated website featured pictures that not only overstated the size of the place, but also the quantities of stocked items. When I arrived, I looked around to discover only a few, relatively empty shelves. The plus side was that the few items available were made on-site. I scooped up some items and MFDC and I split a fresh quiche, featuring, appropriately for the area, mushrooms. The quiche was heated and brought to our table, nestled in the small cafe section in the front of the store. I also snagged an almond meringue sandwich cookie, which was very good.

Sadly, the purchased items have not yielded the gourmet happiness for which I was looking. The asparagus, parmesean and potato soup tasted solely of pureed asparagus. Fresh, yes, interesting, no. I even added more parmesean at home to no avail. The cheddar dip with Victory ale is fairly tasty, however, but I need to buy pretzel sticks as probably the best accompaniment. The pork pate was merely good, but lacked a richness or bite that I would have enjoyed. I confess that I have no idea how duck rillettes should taste, but I found Talula's version rather bland. One of the best items, not pictured here, was the fresh cheese bread that was at once delicious and cheesy without being too much. Kudos on offering miniature cheese "bites," all under $1, but still well-labeled.

After starting to feel like the hour drive was more of a miss, we wandered down to La Michoacana Ice Cream Shop, recently mentioned by Craig LaBan. The proprietors are very sweet and encouraging of tastes of fun flavors like avocado. I settled on a small, split between corn and rice pudding. As LaBan promised, the corn was a sweet riff on a corn pudding flavor, with chunks of corn throughout. The rice pudding was even better, also with bits of rice, but with an indescribably rich flavor. Both were served with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. When we asked, we were told that the chile powder condiment was best on mango water ice, an intriguing combination for a warmer day. A fraction of the cost of the gelato places in the city, this ice cream was both interesting and decadent.

Last but not least, we stopped at Alondra's Bakery, in an effort to make the most of the authentic Mexican offerings in the area. Among the many delicious-looking items, we chose gingerbread and an odd beige roll/pastry. As it turns out, neither were very sweet, which was appealing. The roll had a consistency similar to processed white sandwich rolls, but with powdered sugar and cinnamon. A strange combination, perhaps best with coffee.

When all was said and done, it was a pretty pleasant morning in Kennett Square.

Talula's Table is located at 102 W State Street; La Michoacana Ice Cream Shop is located on 231 E. State Street; and Alondra's is across the street from Talula's. All are in Kennett Square, Pa.

chorizo

chorizo
Originally uploaded by Bitter Girl

Chorizo ( pronouced "Choh REE thoh" ) is A great hard cured pork sausage from Spain made with Pimenton de la Vera that gives it a wonderful smoky flavour. This brand, Palacios, is one of many authentic, Spanish-made chorizo available in the UK. It's excellent. Chorizo is very popular in Spain, being one of the main ingredients of Asturian stew, fabada, also in some Paella and Jambalaya. It is basically a staple in Spain, great for eating as an appetiser, or pan fried with vegetables, or for adding body and flavour to stews,stews and casseroles.

Shiao Lan Kung

Some restaurants are like old friends. You may not have seen them for a while, but when you get together, it's as though no time has passed. Shiao Lan Kung, a bright hole-in-the-wall on Race Street, has patiently outlasted my restaurant whims -- my forays into more trendy dining, my suburban experiences, my forgetting about Chinatown. Yet when I surfaced after a long hiatus, craving its comforting soup on a rainy night, I was pleased to discover almost nothing had changed.

This soup, the mashed beef with egg drop (pictured above), is amazing for the reasons I value truly good food. Simple ingredients that work together, done well. The soup starts with an egg drop base, but not an overly gooey, yellow, but an egg white. It then adds beef, tender and delicious, and fresh cilantro and green onions. The fragrance of the cilantro hovers about each spoonful and the green onions supply the right bite. My faithful dining companion, who actually introduced me to this place many years ago, ordered the Hot and Sour Soup. While too spicy for me, MFDC maintains this version is among the best he's ever had.

Forgetting to order their delicious dumplings, we instead went straight to entrees. Shiao Lan Kung has an impressive list. The more adventurous you are, the better. Known for their seafood, Shiao Lan Kung makes delicious salt baked shrimp. Or at least it has in the past. Usually, the shrimp is done to perfection. You have to order it with the shells on (and you eat the shells) to ensure the perfect mix of crisp and tender, salty and sweet. Unfortunately, our order was overcooked. As a result, the shrimp didn't absorb any of the flavor from the peppers sprinkled on top. Nonetheless, the shrimp were edible. Our other entree, beef with scallion and ginger (pictured below), was delicious. Again, the simple, fresh ingredients are perfectly blended, rendering an otherwise straightforward dish remarkably fragrant and delicious. Chunks of ginger matched the quantity of beef, which was tender without being overpowered by sauce.

We also ordered snow pea leaves with garlic, usually a great dish. And it was pretty tasty, up until the point I found a hair in the dish. Many plates and utensils were cleared. This is not the restaurant, however, that issues apologies and comped meals. The dish was quickly replaced, along with new chopsticks and plates. The term "no frills" would be an understatement here.

So old friends occasionally disappoint. But they're still there for you, even with imperfections. And I would still go back. There's no beating that soup.

Shiao Lan Kung is located at 930 Race Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

Habibi Sushi

Habibi Sushi
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Habibi Sushi is a new conveyor belt London sushi bar in the area near Liverpool Sreet Station, on the way to Spitalfields and Brick Lane.