Spring supper club
Back in March, we hosted an industry lunch and supper club to celebrate the start of Spring at The Space, a venue very local to us!
We welcomed fellow suppliers and other industry specialists for a chance to connect over a delicious lunch, with a menu built around the most seasonal spring vegetables. This would not have been possible without the amazing food suppliers we work with all year round; Natoora, Rushton's the Chefs' Greengrocer, Direct Meats Ltd, James Knight Of Mayfair Ltd.
Our guests arrived to a glass of Gusbourne and our chef’s selection of Spring canapés; Sea Bream Tartare Tartlet, Horseradish, Citrus and Crispy Skin. Sea bream is abundant in the spring months and a great choice for tartare. We use the entire fish; the skin is used to give our canape a bit of texture and we will use the bones and heads to make a delicious fish stock for future use.
We decided to serve the Cauliflower Croquettes with homemade Kimchi as they are a favourite of our clients, which was made with the vegetable off-cuts from other parts of the menu.
The final canapé was Crispy Pork Belly with Piccalilli; Piccalilli is a great way of using up any spare ingredients you have in the fridge and a great accompaniment to the delicious and rich pork belly we get from Dingley Dell Farm in Suffolk.
Thank you to our trusted suppliers who helped make the beautiful tables. Couvert Event Hire, Maison Margaux, Liv’s Letters and Well Dressed Tables all helped us to bring our spring mood boards to life!
As guests found their seats, Focaccia Bread, from our neighbours BreadBread, and a vibrantly pink Beetroot and Garlic Butter was on the table. The wine to accompany the meal was supplied and paired by Liberty Wines Ltd.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Anchovy Cream, Radicchio and Candied Walnuts was a stand-out dish. We love to make the most out of purple sprouting broccoli when it’s in season and the salty richness from the anchovy cream (or bagna cauda) is perfect with it. Add the bitterness from the radicchio and sweet nuttiness from the candied walnuts and you have a winning combination!
This was followed by beef short- rib with Celeriac and Cornish Spring Greens. The beef short-rib from Dedham Vale in Essex is cooked for 12 hours until the bone pulls out clean. We then strain and reduce the cooking liquor until it coats the meat in a glossy, rich glaze. To go alongside the beef, we served a smooth celeriac purée, new season Cornish spring greens and Crispy Early Spring Potatoes with Hung Garlic Yoghurt and Chive Oil. We boil and crush these locally sourced new season potatoes and serve them on top of a deliciously garlicky yoghurt with a beautiful deep, green chive oil.
As a cheese course, Annabel created an Apple Tart Tatin with Isle of Wight Blue Cheese. The sweet, bitter and flaky tart tatin combined with the creamy tang of the Isle of Wight blue is a match made in heaven.
The supper club was finished off with a couple of desserts; Banana Genoise, Banana Peel Rum, Salted Caramel Cream, Brulée’d Banana, Granola and Chocolate. This is Ed’s interpretation of his wife’s favourite pudding, Banoffee Pie. The Banana Peel Rum from Discarded Spirits Co. is a British zero-waste spirit that’s been infused with banana peels.
And finally, we love to make the most of rhubarb season in the UK – so we served Poached Rhubarb, Stem Ginger, Honey Ice Cream and a Brandy Snap.
To round off the meal, we turned our favourite cocktail into chocolate form with an espresso martini truffle. They were a big hit!
Our team absolutely loved hosting so many friendly faces and showing off the best of Doggart & Squash. We are all so looking forward to the next one - roll on summer!
