Hi all, Happy New Year to you all, I hope you had a lovely holiday and are, like us, over it and looking forward to the Spring. We’d like to introduce our new Head Chef, David Faunch, see his latest recipes below or better still pop by and say hi. David and I have worked together for more than a year and I am confident that his commitment to keeping the traditions of the Ship yet raising the standard of our food will bring us success in the year to come. Peter has moved on to bigger and better things and we wish him the best of luck. With this nippy weather, we are still keeping our atmosphere warm and what better way than to offer our newsletter readers 20% off their entire January bill. Simply call or email to reserve a table and quote our offer. Osh     FOOD FOR THOUGHT - New Year's Eve This Month’s Favourites - Sushi Masterclass - Entertainment Phil and Charlie’s Wines David’s Recipes The menu Twitter Website                     New Year's Eve         < top > We hope you had as much fun as we did on New Year’s Eve, we’ve never seen anything like it! Our totals for that evening soared above what we normally take in a week in the summer. Not only that but we raised almost £900 for Great Ormond Street hospital. We are sorry if you had difficulty getting in; we will definitely be opening the Doolali bar next year. If you have any decent photos, please send them in to drinks@theship.co.uk             Sushi Masterclass < top > The follow-up in our successful stint of Masterclasses will see Ed Holmes, the Exec Chef and Managing Director of Chop’d, demonstrate how to make perfect sushi, taking place on January 26th. The £20 entry fee includes wine and sushi treats. As before, places will be filled fast so please call or email Emma to reserve your seats.           Entertainment < top >                       January         Tuesday 19th January Irish Music Tad and the boys set the tone in the Public Bar at 8.30pm         Wednesday 20th January Quiz Night 8.30pm in the Main Bar         Sunday 24th January The Hares Live music in the Main Bar from 8.30pm         Tuesday 26th January Irish Music Tad and the boys set the tone in the Public Bar at 8.30pm Sushi Masterclass The follow-up in our successful stint of Masterclasses will see Ed Holmes, the Exec Chef and Managing Director of Chop'd, demonstrate how to make perfect sushi. The £20 entry fee includes wine and sushi treats.         Wednesday 27th January Quiz Night 8.30pm in the Main Bar         Sunday 31st January Nathan and Nico Live music in the Main Bar from 8.30pm         Tuesday 2nd February Irish Music Tad and the boys set the tone in the Public Bar at 8.30pm         Wednesday 3rd February Quiz Night 8.30pm in the Main Bar         Sunday 7th February Marner Brown Live music in the Main Bar from 8.30pm         Tuesday 9th February Irish music Tad and the boys set the tone in the Public Bar at 8.30pm         Wednesday 10th February Quiz Night 8.30pm in the Main Bar         Sunday 14th February Almost Famous Live music in the Main Bar from 8.30pm         Tuesday 16th February Irish Music Tad and the boys set the tone in the Public Bar at 8.30pm         Wednesday 17th February Quiz Night 8.30pm in the Main Bar         Sunday 21st February Nathan and Nico Live music in the Main Bar from 8.30pm         Tuesday 23rd February Irish Music Tad and the boys set the tone in the Public Bar at 8.30pm         Wednesday 24th February Quiz Night 8.30pm in the Main Bar         Sunday 28th February The Hares Live music in the Main Bar from 8.30pm       Phil and Charlie’s Wines     Wine Time   < top > G’day With freezing temperatures and an abundance of snow surrounding us, we thought we would turn our attentions to a wine growing producer from hotter climes. You can’t get better weather for wine growing than Clare Valley, Southern Australia. Just a two hour drive out of Adelaide you will find the Mitchell Estate Winery. Steeped in tradition this family run vineyard has been producing wines longer than Neighbours has been on TV. By Australian standards the Mitchell Estate is quite a small winery, crushing and producing 600 tonnes of grapes a year. However what they lack in size, they definitely make up for in quality. We are lucky to have two of their wines on our current wine list and want to begin with the Mitchell Riesling. Now the Riesling grape originates from the Rhine area of Germany, but was transported over to Australia in the mid 1800’s by a top bloke named Bill. Rieslings are noted for their oily texture and citrus flavours in their youth, mellowing into a smoother balance and freshness with age. We currently have the 2007 in stock that we think will mature well before the Aussies have a chance to snatch back the Ashes.   The other wine we stock is the Mitchell Grenache, or to give it its proper name is the Mitchell GSM. The GSM refers to a blend of three different grapes, typically Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedré. However those clever people at Mitchell replaced the Syrah for the Sangiovese grape, an Italian grape, mainly used in Chianti. The upshot of this is a bold wine of Black Cherries and soft fruit tannins. However we should warn you that with this trio of heavy, bold grapes the bottle weighs in with a 16% ABV. Not one for an Ugg Boot wearing Beaujolais lover but perfect for a “fair dinkum”, Ute driving, wrestle-a-crocodile before breakfast kind of wine drinker who would relish a bottle like this to accompany his Kangaroo Steak. Good on ya, Mate. We needed a morning off after the tasting.           David’s Recipes         < top > Chicken and Black Truffle Mousse, Pickled Wild Mushrooms and Date Compote - SERVES 6 Ingredients for the Mousse: 3 Chicken Breasts (Skinned), 2 Egg Whites, 5 Drops of Truffle Oil, 100ml Double Cream, 1 Black Truffle (Chopped), 1 Teaspoon Chopped Tarragon, 1 Teaspoon Chopped Parsley, Sea Salt and Black Pepper.   Method: Chicken and Black Truffle Mousse Pulse the chicken in a food processor until finely chopped. Add egg whites and blend until the mixture comes together. While the machine is still running add the cream in a steady stream until smooth. Scrape the mousse into a bowl and mix with the fresh herbs and truffle. Roll out 3 pieces of Clingfilm onto your work surface and pile on top of each other. Place the mousse mix into a long sausage shape and rollup tightly in the Clingfilm, making sure there are no gaps or splits. Poach this package in a large pot of simmering seasoned water for 20 minutes. When the mousse is cooked it should have a bounce to the touch. Chill for 8-10 hours, slice and serve with the Pickled Mushrooms (email us and we’ll let you have some from The Ship), Date Compote and a drizzle of Truffle Oil. Ingredients for the Date Compote: 150g Medjool Dates (Pitted and Chopped), 150g Chopped Shallots, 100ml Brandy, 100ml Cider Vinegar, 200ml Apple Juice, 100g Brown Sugar, Olive Oil for Cooking, ½ Cinnamon Stick, 1 Star Anise, Teaspoon Dijon Mustard. Method: Sweat the Shallot until Soft and add the Cider Vinegar, Dates, Apple Juice and Brandy and bring to the boil to burn off the alcohol. Add the spices, mustard and sugar and simmer on a low heat for one hour until a sticky consistency, allow to cool and then jar in an airtight container. Smoked Haddock and Lincolnshire Poacher Rarebit with Leek and Wild Mushroom Fricassée - SERVES 6 Smoked Haddock with Lincolnshire Poacher Rarebit 3 large fillets of natural Smoked Haddock (ask your fish monger to skin these and remove any pin-bones), 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, 2 tablespoons Flour, 1 teaspoon English Mustard, 1 teaspoon Wholegrain Mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcester Sauce, ½ pt Young’s Bitter, 2 Egg Yolks, 170g (Grated) Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese   Method: Melt the butter, stir in the flour to make a roux, cool for 30 seconds and then gradually add the beer and stir in. Add the mustards and Worcester sauce. Cook on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and mix in the egg yolks. Cut each fillet evenly into two and spread the cooled rarebit on the top. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes (depending on the size) on 180°C. If you need to add colour put under a preheated grill until rarebit is golden. Leek and Mushroom Fricassée 350g Wild Mushrooms, 250g Leek, 100ml Double Cream, 100g Shallots, 1 Clove of Garlic, 100ml of Madeira (or fortified wine) Method: Slice the wild mushrooms, trim and slice the leeks. Blanch leeks in salted, boiling water. Refresh in ice cold water to retain the green colour. Sautée the wild mushrooms in olive oil in a pre heated pan. Add the shallots and garlic when mushrooms start to lightly brown. Add a knob of butter and cook until shallots and garlic have softened. Add the Madeira and reduce by ½, add the blanched leeks and the double cream and reduce by ½ again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve: Place the Fricassée in the centre of the warmed bowls- dividing the wild mushrooms and leeks evenly. Place each piece of haddock rarebit on top of the Fricassée and dress with a little extra virgin olive oil as shown, yummy! Iced Prune and Armagnac Parfait - SERVES 6 Ingredients: 6 Egg Yolks, 140g Caster Sugar, 450ml Double Cream, 5 Tablespoons Armagnac, 20cm Sponge (about 5cm thick). For Compote: 450g Pitted Soft Prunes (chopped), 125g Caster Sugar, 100ml Armagnac   Method Put the chopped prunes in a pan with the sugar and 250ml of cold water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer gently until a jam-like consistency. Allow to cool until just warm. Add the Armagnac, Set aside. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and also set aside. In a pan, heat the caster sugar with the water to soft ball stage (112°C) for this you are best to use a sugar thermometer. Very slowly begin to add the egg yolks while whisking continuously. When all combined, allow to cool. Whip the cream to a soft peak and whisk in Armagnac gradually. When the egg and sugar mixture is cold, fold into the cream. Slice the sponge horizontally into two thin layers. In a terrine or loaf tin, put a layer of sponge to line the bottom. Soak the sponge base with some of the liquid from the top of the prune mixture. Top with half the prune mixture, spreading it to make an even layer and top with the egg/cream mixture. Bang the tin on a work bench to remove air bubbles and freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer two minutes before serving. Cut into portions with knife that has been dipped in boiling water. Serve as shown. Lovely!!           All the best, Osh                         Young & Co.'s Brewery, P.L.C. Riverside House, 26 Osiers Road, Wandsworth, London SW18 1NH Registered in England & Wales Company No. 32762