Pot Kiln 40th......

I'm going to start this blog as I should by wishing my good buddy Martin a very happy 40th birthday.

I'm very fortunate to have so many wonderful people in my life but Martin and his amazing wife Ellie are two of the best friends anybody could wish for. Ever since I moved away from my hometown of Watford I've felt a little distanced from my family and for some people I can imagine that being extremely hard however I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of these guys and since that first meeting they have become by family away from home.

Martin and I share many passions and traits with food and music being top. He has an infectious and friendly personality which endears him to almost all he meets. He's never backward at coming forward and will not hesitate to make conversation with anybody he meets and that's not born out of extreme confidence it's purely because he's a genuinely nice bloke.

He's my pal, my confidante, my rock and my brother so glasses up to one of the people who make this world a great place to live in :-)

To celebrate the date Ellie had arranged for the 4 of us to take a trip to one of my absolute favourite restaurants in the world and a truly mean that. I would go as far as to say that if I could choose one place where I had to eat for the rest of my life it would be at the Pot Kiln in Yattendon just outside of Newbury. Forget all those places I've eaten and adored on my travels because this place is Britain on a plate.

Opened in 2005 it quickly became one of the best country pubs in the UK where it remains today. The pub is owned and run by Mike and Katie Robinson and their dog Sassy. Mike is best known for his TV appearances and shows such as the Heaven's Kitchen series as well as two others set entirely at the Pot Kiln. He also tours the country giving food demonstrations and educating the public on the wonders and advantages or eating off the land and all things wild and local.

I have been lucky enough to meet him when he judged the final of RSC 2010.....made the wrong choice obviously but no grudges :-) and recently a couple of his recipes accompanied and article I'd written for the Reading Post which quite honestly blew me away.

The pub itself couldn't look more quintessentially English if it tried. Set way out in the countryside surrounded by farming and woodland it's the ideal location for Mike to source the restaurant staple which is game. Everything that is not shot by Mike himself or grown in the gardens at the pub is sourced from local producers or suppliers, they passionately follow this ethos right down to the beer they have on tap, they even have a real ale made for them exclusively by the west Berkshire brewery called "Brick Kiln Ale".

Upon entering the pub you find yourself in a tiny public bar with very original decor and fittings. There you might find a few locals or perhaps some ramblers with their dogs all decked out in either work clobber or wax jackets. The former might have a foaming tankard of ale whereas the latter might have a glass of one of the pubs wonderfully sourced wines.

Walking through to the restaurant area you instantly notice it's mish mash of furniture and it's this that gives it a tremendously rustic yet formal charm. Rarely will you find a matching chair on a table for four but the renovated light wood table will be dressed as neatly as any top city centre eatery. The walls are brightly painted and lightly adorned with pictures as well as other hunting paraphernalia, the odd Deers head or fishing rod here and there but nothing scary enough to put you off your dinner.

The menu is ever changing as you'd expect with a kitchen that is reliant on what is available that morning or season. Everything is fresh, Mike's knowledge of game is not bettered by anybody in the business and this ensures and that all the meats are hung and prepared as perfectly as they can possibly be.

To start I went for a dish named "Tongue and Cheek" which unsurprisingly is made up of thinly sliced Ox tongue and served alongside a few crispy coated nuggets of slow braised Pig's cheek. Accompanying these was a a Kohlrabi remoulade, a couple of hard boiled quails eggs and some bite size pieces of pickled shallot (£7.50)

The meats were perfect and the remoulade added further richness to the dish. The pickled shallots added just the right amount of acidity giving excellent balance. I'd have preferred the quails eggs to be soft boiled as I think a dab of the velvety yolk would have been great with the golden crusted pig's cheeks but other than that tiny aspect I could not fault it at all. It looked as beautiful as it tasted too.

Martin chose the same starter as myself. Ellie chose the Berkshire pigeon breast with salt baked artichokes, pickled mushrooms & walnuts with pumpkin crisps (£7.95) and Carley opted for the potted confit or wild rabbit and fois gras with quince jelly and soda bread (£7.95).

All the starters looked amazing and judging by the "oohs" the "aahs" and the "wows" they tasted great too, many a time I looked up to see Ellie staring at a piece of pigeon with wonderment then saying something like "I can't believe how good this tastes".

For main I chose the braised feather blade of Hereford beef with bone marrow, roasted shallots and beetroot (£18.95).

Feather blade along with brisket are two of the cheapest cuts of beef you can get but both when cooked well are vastly superior in flavour and texture than all the other more fashionable cuts. The piece I had on my plate was about four inches in diameter and about two inches thick yet it could carve it with the side of a fork and it tasted ten times better than any fillet I have ever had.

I cannot fault this dish at all. If I'd been served this at a double Michelin starred restaurant for three times the price I'd still have been happy, it was beef perfection.

Carley had a wonderfully crafted dish of Pheasant Kiev (£15.95). Unfortunately I've completely forgotten what Ellie had but rest assured both courses got the same reception as the starters.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the evening came when Martin was eating his Pavé & stalkers pie of Lockinge fallow deer with purple sprouting broccoli and pan juices (£17.50)

As I mentioned before Martin shares the same passion for food as I do. He understands the effort, work and knowledge that goes into producing great food and the sourcing of ingredients that separates places like the Pot Kiln from others. His Pavé of deer was cooked to perfection but the Stalkers pie actually bought a tear to his eye because it was that good.......When was the last time something on your dinner plate actually made you emotional?

I think this sums up the Pot Kiln perfectly. It's a food lovers paradise, it's everything local, British and wild rolled into one. The crossover between fine dining and wholesome and hearty is never more perfectly personified than here.

We finished up our meal sharing a complete cheeseboard between us. We had all ten of the British cheeses on offer (£30.00) from the superb Stilton rivalling Barkham Blue (I think it's better than Stilton but keep that to yourselves) to the legendary Stinking Bishop.

For drinks during the meal we had a bottle of Spanish Garnache (£23.00) which was very easy drinking and a nice way start. This was followed by a Chilean Pinot Noir (£28.00) which had a bit more body, more fruit and a really wonderful deep cherry red colour. With the cheeses we all had a glass of port(£5.50), I'm not a huge fan of port as I find it a bit too sweet but I had no problem polishing it off.

All in all it was perfect. I've been here a few times now and I've never left disappointed. I can absolutely guarantee that Martin & Ellie will return and I don't just recommend that you go there too I actually demand that you do.

Toodlepip xxx

Venison......

Been a while since my last ramblings and it's laziness that is the issue here rather than anything else as I've had plenty of time even with our new arrival.

I must admit fatherhood is really quite special. Sophie is a complete angel too, she hardly makes a noise and sleeps right through the night.

Instead of people telling us how much sleep we are going to lose and how hard it is they've now switched tack to let us know that it's the teething that's hell, oh and the terrible twos blah blah blah.

So for those reading this I'm genuinely very sorry that you've had such a torrid time bringing up your children but please stop trying to wish that on me. Perhaps there is a chance that Sophie might change and start playing up but at the moment she's not and if her parents are anything to go by then she's not really likely too either. Maybe use it as a good news story to other future parents :-)

So onto the food.....The following is the latest article I've had printed in the Food Monthly magazine and it's all about my favourite meat Venison. In the magazine they followed up my piece with a couple of recipes from the UK's number one game fanatic Mike Robinson of the Pot Kiln in Yattenden. He's a big influence on me and I'm a big fan so I was so chuffed when I saw it. I felt privileged to share a stage with him at RSC and now to share printed page space is just off the radar.

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At this time of year when autumn is turning to winter I think of all things homely and heart-warming.

I think of evenings being encircled by my friends, family or both around candle lit dining tables being gradually warmed by the flickering glow of an open fire. All the while there will be a convivial babble of conversation interspersed with those hearty laughs that’ll inevitably explode out with ever increasing gusto as the evenings repast is quaffed down with a few fine ales or perhaps a bottle or two of hearty red wine.

On these occasions the food needs to fit the mood and to me that means rich, full flavoured meat. A roast chicken could be switched in favour of a brace of seasonal pheasant and if you’ve never tried it or fancy having a go at something a little daring and different how about swapping that beef or lamb joint for a nice piece of venison?

Before you think “I can’t eat Bambi” here a few facts which might sway you into overlooking any sentimental feelings you might have about Hollywood’s most famous ruminant.

Firstly venison is very low in fat; it has less fat than a skinned breast of chicken.
Secondly iron levels are higher and cholesterol levels are lower than in any other red meat.

The term venison itself derives from the Latin verb “venari” meaning “to hunt” and it originally referred to the flesh of any hunted animal, it still does in many parts of Europe; indeed the French still include wild boar under the same tag although on British shores venison is used exclusively to describe the meat of the deer species.

Farmed venison is a little milder in flavour than wild but both are available all year round. Supermarket stocked venison will tend to be of the farmed variety and have a uniform taste however my advice would be to visit your local butcher and ask for some wild venison. The depth of flavour that comes from a free roaming animal and its mixed diet really adds complexity to the whole eating experience.

In texture venison is very much like beef and the comparative joints can be cooked in the same way although due to the much leaner fat content in venison extra care should be taken not to overcook it as the result will be less than desirable. Regular basting, larding or wrapping in bacon is essential for slow roasting joints and cooking a steak to any more than medium should certainly be avoided.

The taste of venison can again be likened to that of beef with a slightly richer and gamier tang and it’s that richness of flavour that brings a certain amount of luxurious decadence to the spread.

Serve up a whole roasted joint and surround it with bowls of buttered seasonal vegetables and lashings of viscous red wine jus.

Of all the entries in the diary of Samuel Pepys that mention venison I think this sums it up perfectly for me -

“At the Clerk’s chamber I met with Simons and Luellin, and went with them to Mr. Mount’s chamber at the Cock Pit, where we had some rare pot venison, and ale to abundance till almost twelve at night, and after a song round we went home.”

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I'm about to submit my piece for the Christmas special and I've kept on the theme of thing I love and written about Brussels sprouts. I've included some recipes that I hope will also make the cut......and also make it onto your dinner tables.

Toodlepip..