Oisin, on last bank holiday Sunday.

I am writing this post in response to the totally unprecedented events of Sunday 5th May.

Bank holiday Sundays at the Ship have always been popular, but we did not expect the very large crowds who showed up to enjoy the Ship and were in the surrounding area which unfortunately caused lots of problems locally – particularly with our neighbours, for which we apologise. As we are always mindful of our responsibilities to our local community and would never wish to encourage anything which adversely affects our neighbours, we have reviewed our procedures internally to ensure that this does not happen again.

We continue to focus on being the very best we can be at all times, and that’s why we’ve decided to put the following points into action regarding Sundays and especially bank holiday Sundays.

Bank Holiday Sundays

We will close our bars by 4pm, clear the external areas by 5pm and the total business by 6pm. The next bank holidays this year will be 26th May and 25th August.

We will actively discourage people from planning to come to the surrounding areas to drink and celebrate.

We will meet with interested parties in the week after Sunday the 26th May to review the effectiveness of these measures and to discuss and hopefully agree what further action if any should be taken for the August bank holiday Sunday.

All Sundays

We will cease to have live music up until the beginning of September, just to calm things down a bit.

~

Sunday at the Ship has been a highlight of the week for many of our customers for some years now, and we’d like to ensure that this continues to be the case without causing anybody discomfort or distress. As a result, we are taking steps to guide Sundays back to the fun, chilled out days they used to be, with plenty of great food and a pleasant atmosphere. I am very proud of the business we run, and a huge part of that comes from the excellent quality of our food and drink, and from the hospitality of our fantastic staff. I would really appreciate your assistance with this.

Kind Regards

Osh

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Recipe: Rachel McCormack’s Turkey Escaldum

Rachel McCormack is a familiar voice to many as a panellist on Radio 4′s kitchen cabinet, and is just as well-known for her boundless knowledge of Catalan cuisine. On Monday 13th May she will be hosting a Balearic-themed pop-up at the Thatched House in Hammersmith, so to whet your appetites we’re blogging her recipe for one of the dishes on the fantastic menu – turkey escaldum. Read on for the recipe, and to buy tickets follow this link: http://balearicpopup.eventbrite.co.uk

Rachel writes: “In Mallorcan, turkey is called gall d’indiot – hen from the Indies - and ‘escaldum’ is based on the medieval way of cooking capons and chickens using sugar, almonds, egg yolks, herbs and spices.

“Nowadays, escaldums is a much nicer and far less complicated dish using almonds, wine and onions as a basis. Try it at home, or come and eat it at the Thatched on 13th May.”

For 4 generous portions:

800g of diced turkey meat

500g of finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 glass white wine

2 tomatoes peeled and diced 

8 prunes

Salt

Pepper

Majoram

2 bay leaves 

50 g of peeled and toasted almonds

Olive oil

Season the turkey with salt and pepper and, after heating the oil in a pan add the turkey until the pieces are golden.

Remove the turkey and add the onions then a few minutes later, add the garlic. Once the onion is softened add the tomato then the wine, 1/2 teaspoon majoram and 2 bay leaves. 

Add the turkey to the pot and put on a very low heat for about 15 minutes. 

Crush the toasted almonds with a pestle and mortar or put them in a blender with some of the liquid from the pan. 

Add the crushed or blended almonds and the prunes and cook for another 10 mins.

Serve with boiled potatoes.

Rachel McCormack

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It’s back. Scotch Egg Challenge 2013.

Calling all restaurants, pubs, cafes and food shops – we’re now taking applications for the third annual Scotch Egg Challenge, being held at the Ship on Tuesday, 17th September.

If you serve a cracking Scotch egg then get your entry form in for your chance to have it crowned the nation’s best. Last year, the Bladebone Inn in Berkshire was victorious with its creative entry made with duck egg, a truffle layer, and a potato and Parma ham breadcrumb.

Once all the applications are in, we’ll announce a line-up of 22 finalists who will be put to the test in the kitchens of the Ship for what promises to be a fiercely contested cook-off.  The final judgement will lie in the hands of a panel of food experts who will cast their vote for the best entries following a blind tasting. Last year’s Challenge featured entries from such varied and illustrious establishments as Heston Blumenthal’s Hinds Head in Bray, Peyton & Byrne, Opera Tavern, Fino, Duck & Waffle, The Drapers Arms in Islington, along with individual competitors such as street food trader Sean Lawson, a.k.a. ‘Egg Boss’.

This year, the 2013 challenge has teamed up with humanitarian charity Action Against Hunger and will, for the first time, be inviting all entrants to donate a dozen eggs to a 60-hour online auction, whether or not they make the final cut. All proceeds will go direct to the valuable work the charity does in some of the world’s poorest countries.

The deadline for applications is 30th June, so if you think you can take what was once a humble bar snack to the next level email Jo Ellery at ship@youngs.co.ukfor an application form. For those wanting a slice of the action on the night, a limited number of tickets to the Scotch Egg Challenge will be available to purchase by following this link: http://endhunger.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/scotchegg (all ticket sales go to Action Against Hunger).

For more news, updates and the announcement of the final line-up, keep checking our blog or follow us @ShipWandsworth.

For further information please contact Abigail Salmon/Marie Spanou at Roche Communications on 020 7436 1111. Email Abigail@rochecom.com or marie @rochecom.com

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Shaun’s Recipe: Seared Duck Breast, Spring Onion Mash, Wilted Bok Choy, Blood Orange Jus

Now that the temperature’s warmer, we thought we’d share one of our latest, lightest springtime recipes with you. If you don’t have time to make the jus, you can always replace it with another sauce, but we reckon it’s definitely worth the extra effort as the dish is beautifully complemented by the tangy citrus flavour. If you give the dish a go, email or tweet us a photo.

Serves 4

1 blood orange

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 star anise

2 bay leaves

1 small bunch of thyme

1 bottle of full-bodied red wine (e.g. Shiraz)

750ml dark chicken, veal or beef stock

4 duck breasts trimmed of excess fat

800g Maris Piper potatoes

100g butter

6 spring onions

1 small bunch of parsley

50ml olive oil

4 heads of bok choy, leaves separated

First make the sauce. Fry the onion, carrots, star anise, bay and thyme in a large saucepan until the onions start to brown. Add the sugar, the zest of the blood orange, and red wine. Bring to the boil and reduce to a sticky glaze. Add the stock, pass through a fine sieve and reduce again by roughly half to a thick, dark jus.

Boil the potatoes until tender then mash with the butter. Season and set to one side.

Blanch the parsley in boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh in iced water. Squeeze the parsley leaves dry and blend in a food processor with the spring onions and olive oil to create a smooth spring onion puree.

Dice the blood orange segments and stir into the jus. Keep warm.

Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper and cook in a frying pan on a high heat, skin side down for 6 minutes. Turn the duck breasts and add a small knob of butter and continue to cook on a low flame for a further 4 minutes. Transfer the duck breasts to a warm plate and allow to rest while finishing the mash.

Work the spring onion puree into the mashed potato with a spatula until smooth, and warm through over a low flame.

Wilt the bok choy leaves in a pan with a little butter and water. Season with salt and black pepper.

Place a quenelle of mash of a warm plate, drain the bok choy and place alongside the mash. Carve the duck into thin slices, place on top of the bok choy and drizzle over the jus.

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Osh writes about service and careers in the hospitality industry.

The following is an article by Oisin Rogers. You can read the full post, and more about National Waiters’ Day, here: http://www.nationalwaitersday.com/blog/item/the-brokers-of-happiness-by-oisin

At a time when many careers are losing their professional status, I think now is there is an opportunity for us, as an industry, to encourage people to view hospitality as a long-term, lucrative and rewarding career. It is no longer unusual to look around a room of my peers and see graduates and drop-outs who fell into this profession. Many are geniuses but few planned to stay in hospitality. (I studied Engineering in Dublin in the 1980’s; which may have given me an understanding of how a beer pump works, but did little to prepare me for a career in which I am proud to say I have found some level of success).

It is a curious fact that the Latin word hospes, the root of our word ‘hospitality’, could equally mean stranger, guest or host. The Romans clearly saw little need to distinguish between the three. Similarly, the ancient Greek word for hospitality, xenia, is almost identical to their word for stranger, hence xenophobia is a fear of foreigners. Paradoxical it may seem, but my underlying thought is that to be a good host you must welcome strangers and aim for them leave you as friends. It is this most subtle of arts that that inspires loyalty, goodwill and translates hopefully to financial success in our business world.

The essential relationship between our staff and our guests is at the heart of what we in the hospitality sector are aiming to perfect. It is a bond that is never more important than in periods of uncertainty and slow growth. Sluggish growth appears to be the new normal. Success means digging deep into our reserves of creativity to find new ways to carve market share from our competitors or even to flex and create new markets. This makes for an exciting environment as an operator seeking to find an edge; this is a precision operation and key to sharpening that edge is the quality of our staff.  Valuing, developing and training those who work front of house and helping them realise their full potential is, I believe, absolutely key to our success.

I know that Fred Siriex recognises, as I do, that our wonderful business trades largely on the intangible. When our customers leave our pub or restaurant they usually don’t have any goods – all we can hope for is that they depart with full bellies, good humour and a few hours of warm memories. We hawk comfort, we trade in happiness, we barter in banter. These are emotional transactions and it is vital that our staff understand how integral they are to building long-lasting relationships and recognise that this is where the greatest reward can be found.

As a manager I recognise another essential truth: The best businesses have the best FOH staff, and there is just as much competition for talent among restaurateurs and publicans as there is for customers. Over 2.5 million people are working in hospitality in the UK. With a perception that many of these jobs are poorly paid and lacking esteem, are we attracting the brightest and the best? I contend that we need to do much more to capitalise on the fact is that in the current economy we offer competitive salaries and real career progression. For those willing to work hard and embrace the hospitality lifestyle, the rewards are there. Our industry offers a serious alternative to many of the companies taking on graduates and interns at bus-fare wages with the promise of “experience” and little else…

I am proud to support the initiative of National Waiters’ Day, as created and envisaged by Fred – a man to whom many of us can only look up, an operator who puts his best people in their perfect places, bringing joy to all his guests.

As an industry we have a real opportunity to improve the quality of applicants into our businesses at all levels.  We offer an environment where hard work and entrepreneurship are rewarded, where mavericks are often protected and encouraged. It is an environment brimming with camaraderie and understanding, energy and good times. We are, after all, the brokers of happiness.

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Sjávargrillið Restaurant, Reykjávik

Dining out when on holiday is risky. When faced with an array of choices and recommendations, it can be impossible to pick THE restaurant which might make your trip. Nobody wants to waste a precious evening of their time away on a disappointing venue. That’s why it’s so exciting when you pick a place at random and it turns out to be an absolute winner. This happened to Adam and I while we were staying in Reykjávik last month, and we had such a great experience there that we will happily sing its praises to anyone who’ll listen.

For such a small city (population 200,000), Reykjávik’s culinary offering is astonishingly rich. On strolling down Laugavegur, one of the main shopping streets, we encounter numerous bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs with enticing menus and lively action within. We had not been expecting much of a choice. After all, the little that we knew about Icelandic cuisine pretty much extended to hákarl, a local ‘delicacy’ (buried shark fermented it in its own urea for several months). With this preconception it is with trepidation that we wander the streets in search of a meal which would give us a flavour of local culture, but won’t make us want to vomit at the mere thought.

We need not have been worried. Adam picks out Sjávargrillið (Seafood Grill), a cosy-looking little restaurant, on the basis that it’s heaving. Just as well we settle here, for as we step through the door, the streets are lashed with horizontal rain in a characteristically sudden downpour. (They say in Iceland that if you don’t like the weather, all you need to do is wait five minutes). The colourful lighting from the jam-jar lampshades is low but not too dark; the restaurant itself is small but split over two levels and the tables are intimate but not too close together. The overall feeling is one of warmth and welcome. Immediately we are greeted by an immensely cheerful manageress with impeccable English, who on hearing we don’t have a reservation on this busy Tuesday shows no sign of dismay, but simply seats us by the impressively-stocked bar and explains that she will find us a table as soon as possible. Two pints of rich, brown Viking Classic lager each later, she is as good as her word, ushering us to a table where the unusual, quirky set-up of the cutlery and glassware suggest an establishment which takes pleasure in getting the details right.

A brief perusal of the extensive menu has us hooked. Adam is most intrigued by one of the set menus, advertising itself as the ‘Grill Party’ and requesting you to ask your server for details. We reckon it is well worth a gamble, especially as the staff (all of whom have such perfect English it was almost shaming) seem highly knowledgeable on the dishes. Ordering two more beers, a bottle of very decent Valpolicella Ripasso to breathe at the table and the so-called Grill Party, we sit back to see what our hosts can produce.

First to the table is an appetiser of cured lamb, crusty homemade bread and a smoky mayonnaise. Next, a sharing dish of lobster and blue ling with cauliflower and mussel sauce. On the side, we are presented with little brass pots each containing a perfect cube of juicy pork belly dipped in barbecue sauce; not something we expect in an Icelandic restaurant: crispy, melting and full of flavour. Teeny, delicate portions of cured salmon with beetroot, walnut and goat’s cheese bridge the gap between courses, and are swiftly consumed and replaced with a presentation three very similar-looking meats, all glossy dark brown in colour with a pinkish tinge in the middle. These are puffin, shag and minke whale. At this point, we actually have so much food that our waitresses moves us onto a larger adjacent table. However, somewhere along the line we mix up these identical portions. We have no frame of reference to suggest which is which, and are too greedily impatient to sample them to call the waitress back over. In spite of not knowing what on earth we are eating, they are all complemented beautifully by blueberry sorbet, pickled cabbage and hazelnut biscuits.

Next up is grilled salmon and perch, and we begin to seriously worry about fitting in the rest of the meal. When the next course arrives, it is so delicious that all our doubts simply melt away. Tender, pink slices of seared beef ribeye with root vegetables, celeriac purée and Béarnaise are accompanied by a tiny metal hotbox on which rest chunks of smoked lamb sprinkled liberally with a soft, white ‘hazelnut snow’. After one mouthful, we are speechless, slumping back in our chairs. This course manages to top all which preceded it – it’s simply extraordinary.

Just when I think we can’t possibly handle any more, we are brought our dessert – a tiny mousse of caramelised white chocolate, rum and raspberry garnished with dill sorbet, followed by a spectacular crème brulée with caramel foam, sorrel ice, strawberry sorbet, and ground cacao beans. Both are exquisite. Thoroughly and utterly satisfied, we pay up, give our thanks to the smiling waitresses, who banter with us freely in their second language, and walk into the night air, only to be greeted with another sudden and sodden Arctic squall just as we set trudge to our hotel. Our only thoughts are of bed and the imminent, overwhelming food coma.

We expected many things from Iceland when we picked it as a destination – glacier hiking, stunning landscapes and the Aurora Borealis among them. We even hoped to learn how to pronounce the name of the infamous volcano, Eyjafjallajökull (ask one of us next time you’re here. We can do it, honestly.). We didn’t expect to find such a high-quality food scene, however – every other meal we had whilst there was also fantastic, though Sjávargrillið’s offering was truly standout. If you’re looking for something a little bit different, we’d recommend you give this unique country a go, but be sure to swing into this particular gem of a restaurant.

Jo Ellery

(@elleryface)

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The Ship is Changing…..

Right now the Ship is undergoing an exciting and extensive refurbishment which will see it completely transformed whilst still retaining its unique character. We will be open again on Friday March 8th. Building works have been underway since the start of January, and we can’t believe how quickly things have come along. We have been closed since 18th February to carry out essential works on the interior and plumbing.

The changes you will see to this famous pub will have a hugely positive effect. The outside bar in our beer garden has been demolished and completely rebuilt in a style which will ensure quicker service. It will also make more space for outside seating, and we will fill that area with tables, chairs and seating booths which we expect will be highly coveted in the summer months. The barbecue has also been demolished and rebuilt with more space and more grills to cope with high demand.

Inside, we’ve moved our function room to make more space for a much-needed extension of both the ladies’ and gents’ toilets; both are being completely re-plumbed and will gain several extra cubicles. Speaking of toilets, the restaurant will also be getting its own set of them, so even on the busiest nights in the pub the restaurant can maintain a calmer atmosphere for its diners and act as a separate entity. The restaurant itself is being extended to make extra room for tables, and when we launch our new-look menu we’re expecting it to be packed full every night. The extension will also give the option for two private dining rooms to replace the former function room. Aside from all the major changes, we’re generally decorating, lighting, rewiring, refurnishing and refitting to ensure that while it’s still the same pub you all know and love, everything’s going to be brand new and ten times better than before.

In short, we really hope you’ll love the finished product, and that you’ll join us on the 8th March for all the usual Ship antics – fun, food, booze, sun (hopefully), great service, great times. See you soon!

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Classic Recipe: Sticky Toffee Pudding with Warm Toffee Sauce

This month we’d like to share an absolute Ship classic with you, and we’re happy to report it’s also very easy to make. Our recipe for sticky toffee pudding is such a winning formula that it has remained the same for over twenty years now. It’s traditional British comfort food at its finest, and the ideal dessert to see out the last of the winter weeks. Once we reopen in March we’ll have a brand new menu, but this is one of the few dishes which is such an integral and popular part of our canon it’s going to remain on there unchanged. Just follow the simple steps below for a quick and easy crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients (serves 4)

200g stoned dates

300ml boiling water

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

75g unsalted butter

175g golden caster sugar

2 eggs, beaten

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

For the sauce:

125g unsalted butter

2 tbsp golden syrup

75g golden caster sugar

150ml double cream

½ tsp salt

Line a 24 x 24cm baking dish with buttered baking paper.

Mix the dates and boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bicarbonate of soda – be careful as the mixture will bubble up at this point. Allow to cool slightly then blitz coarsely with a hand blender.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg a little at a time. Stir in the flour and baking powder until the mixture has combined thoroughly, then add the still-warm date mixture. Mix well.

Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 30 minutes at 170°C, or until firm to the touch.

For the sauce, combine everything in a pan and heat gently until the butter melts. Increase the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Serve a generous slice of the pudding drizzled with the toffee sauce. It goes perfectly with vanilla, salted caramel or prune ice cream, or a little double cream on top.

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The Latest Crop of Thatched House Pop-Ups

Our sister pub, the Thatched House in Hammersmith, has been running a series of highly successful pop-up dinners with various chefs on Monday nights – the idea being that it’s a night of the week when there’s nothing much going on, so we give people something exciting to do. The chefs we had last year included Andrew Kojima, Dhruv Baker, Tim Anderson, author of well-regarded food blog Rocket and Squash Ed Smith (www.rocketandsquash.com), and the Ship’s own sous chef Nathan Richardson, who at the time was our assistant manager (www.jrbpopup.co.uk). This year we’ve had some fantastic guest chefs and the evenings so far have been much enjoyed by all who attended. Just to give you a brief run-down:

21st and 22nd January – Tim Anderson.MasterChef 2011 winner Tim specialises in

Tim Anderson's mouthwatering yaki curry

regional Japanese cuisine, and his menu for the pop-up showcased dishes for his restaurant Nanban, opening later this year. Anyone lucky enough to have bagged a ticket was among the first to sample his incredible dishes, many of which make their way to Nanban’s menu. Tim’s attention to detail is hugely impressive, right down to the placemat menus he designed complete with maps of Japan to illustrate the precise areas from which each dish originated. Guests were blown away by the Hakata tonkotsu ramen (with hand-made noodles), and in particular by Tim’s insanely tasty yaki curry with vegetables, sticky rice, runny egg and – wait for it – molten cheese. At first glance bonkers, but a perfect dish.

 

Mini puri, crispy okra and many other delights from Ben and Ben

4th February – Ben Tish and Ben Mulock. The executive chef of Salt Yard Group and senior sous of Opera Tavern respectively, the two Bens went off-piste by serving an Indian banquet as opposed to the modern tapas for which the restaurants are known. The project had been a labour of love for Ben Mulock in particular, who has been itching to explore his passion for Indian food further. Guests were treated to a huge sharing platter to start made from prime quality ingredients, all lovingly prepared from scratch. The highlight of the meal, however, has to have been the huge, tender slab of Tandoori Iberico pork pressa with lime yogurt and coriander which came as part of the main course, a subtle nod to their customary Spanish fare.

 

9th February – Nathan Richardson. Nathan has only recently been appointed as our brand new sous chef here at the Ship, and we’re absolutely thrilled to have him in the kitchen. Formerly our assistant manager, Nathan had always been planning to break back into cheffing, and in the meantime had been running pop-ups simply for the love of cooking. Always inventive and simply brilliant at what he does, highlights of this menu  included beef fillet and foie gras ‘ravioli’, along with roasted scallops, crispy mussels, seaweed, and coral and bacon mousse. Now that he’s in the kitchen full-time his pop-ups may be fewer and further between, but you’ll be able to sample his fabulous culinary skills – and many of his dishes – almost every day at the Ship.  (For more of Nathan’s menu samples check out www.jrbpopup.co.uk)

 

11th February – Tom Oldroyd.The group head chef of Polpo and Polpetto, Tom was

Tom's Tabasco scallops with cauliflower and duck skin

always bound to wow the crowd at his much-anticipated pop-up, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. The atmosphere was absolutely buzzing as plate after plate of sumptuous, Italian-inspired food came out the kitchen and returned having been virtually licked clean. Kicking off with lardo croquettes and white truffle mousse, our particular favourite dish was the smoked Tabasco scallops with cauliflower and duck skin, though the warm Strega Baba with blood orange and Jersey cream had us astounded too. All in all, a roomful of highly satisfied diners left the Thatched House that evening.

 

Shelina on the pass prepping her mutton curry

18th February – Shelina Permalloo. Shelina won MasterChef all the way back in 2012, and we absolutely loved having her on board for her first ever solo pop-up. A Mauritian menu characterised by rich, warm spices was served up, and when she entered the dining area at the end of the meal it was to thunderous applause. Juicy king prawns with papaya pickle and creole sauce, spiced soft shell crab with fennel and mango salad, and mutton curry with roti and coconut and coriander chutney were among the treats enjoyed by diners.

 

25th February – Grant Hawthorne. Grant is a highly respected chef whose cooking style, in his own words, combines the best of the New World with the attention to detail of the Old. His exciting eight-course menu reflects his South African roots, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what the night has in store.

 

15th April – Blogger Takeover. This will be a light-hearted project, and we’re currently in discussion with blogger Hugh Wright (www.twelvepointfivepercent.com) regarding dates and organisation. We’ll be inviting a select group of food bloggers to the Thatched House to cook dinner for the evening. Further details to be announced shortly.

 

Any questions, get in touch with Jo via ship@youngs.co.uk. Keep checking the Thatched events page for details of upcoming events: www.thatchedhouse.com

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Nathan Richardson’s #JRB dinner at the Thatched House

Last night our assistant manager Nathan Richardson, who also happens to be an extremely talented chef, cooked a stunning five-course dinner for over 30 lucky guests at the Thatched House in Hammersmith. We’d like to share his menu with you, as it really was something very special. Nathan isn’t a professional chef, he just cooks for fun; and the quality of his food is outstanding. If you missed out this time around he’ll be popping up again in the new year, so keep an eye on our Twitter feed for announcements.

Roasted Sweetbreads, Morel Puree, Asparagus Salad, Mushroom Croquette, Truffle Oil

 

Butter Poached Salmon, Soured Cream Sorbet, Avocado Puree, Melba Toast, Scorched Lemon Dressing

Poached Duck Breast, Foie Gras Donut, Confit Leg Meat, Almond Fluid Gel, Cherry Jus

Hot Apple and Blackberry Crumble Shot

Iced Coffee and Chocolate Parfait, Frangelico Cream, Salted Caramel, Hazelnut Tuille

If you’d like to know a bit more about Nathan’s food, have a look at www.jrbpopup.co.uk.

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