Well I have no idea of which of my reviews Waitrose @GoodFoodGuideUK has been reading although I have my suspicions. However I am thrilled to be included in the list of reviewers, yay, the most professional I have ever been! Next on my list are places with rooms, but only if they are good, same rules apply as to the food. Radio interviews are had if I can fit you in which I am more than happy to do.
Woodspeen – Stunning in every way
Better picture of @JCchef1 and Phil from @TwococksBrewery as front page
A lot of people now love fame, everyone wants their 15 minutes and if they cant have it then they want to know someone who has. Whilst I wasn’t a Donny Osmond or Bay City Rollers fan when I was young (now you know how old I am) my hero was James Taylor. I saw him every time he toured in the UK, named my first son James and have even surged at one of his concerts. This was a full auditorium and I was determined to get to the front at some point so at what my friend and I considered to be the right moment we rushed to the front. Then we looked around to see that all the other middle aged members of the audience were looking at us with some bemusement. We were the only surgers. We then had to do the walk of shame back…
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Brebis – Home of Inspiration and delectation
Do I love Brebis? Yes I do. Do I pay for my food there? Often and always when I take people that I have recommended it to. Which is a lot but not as much as I would like to. Aaah @Brebis_Sam, home from home.
Indeed I love Brebis so much I have persuaded them to support West Berkshire Mencap @westberksmencap by holding a dinner for us on 16th September. Half the places have gone already but please feel free to book up if you want to have a great dinner whilst supporting WBMencap. I have also ‘persuaded’ the Chef, Sam Mansfield, to offer his services for a meal for 10 cooked in your home (you provide the booze and transport costs as an auction prize for our Race Day at Newbury race course on 4 Match 2016. His bruises are going down now and thanks for volunteering.
Sam and James are brothers who have been running Brebis for 2 years in Newbury, often using home reared meat from Malherbe, James farm, and home grown vegetables. They have a delightful sous chef, Harry, who seems to cope despite the craziness of the kitchen. Sam and James are passionate about their food and it shows. My favourite chefs are also my favourite interviewees, Daniel Galmiche, Raymond Blanc, John Campbell (blog coming very soon), Jean Christophe Novelli (one of my first) and Sam. These chefs love what they do, they know why they are doing what they are doing, they have the most amazing palates and in all honesty require very few questions. Turn them on with the first question and away they go. It is like turning on a Duracell Bunny and the excitement and passion pours out of them like chocolate from a perfectly cooked chocolate fondant.
I am only telling you about some of these dishes because if you want to know more then come to the @WestBerksMencap fundraiser on September 16th! Half sold already and going to be an amazing night. Please share and RT etc
You are looking at parmesan crisps and truffle and lots of goodness, Sam is a wizard at putting things together
My home smoked salmon
Oh my tagliatelle and truffles and a mouth of lovelliness
Very popular sweetbreads, praised to the heavens by the people that chose them
Sams joke – Mackerel Sandwich – damn my plate envy
Hake, their fish is cooked so well, never had a faulty fish here (or anything else to be honest)
Quail -and there was an option for two that I wanted for just me
Pork, fondant potatoes, amazing topping of citrus strips, definitely a winner
tender lamb with a delicious risotto
The star of the show, Tonys pigs trotter done as a favour for him, it took 3 days to prepare and Tony was extremely pleased with it, I saw little chanterelles and the trotter had a great flavour but I cant remember what else was on it.
There were more spoons on this and I had to work fast to take the photos before they were all eaten, meringue and lemon, great combo 
These pictures are an amalgamation of the last two times I went. I paid each time and the fact that they are good enough to support West Berkshire Mencap has no influence on my review.
L’ortolan open day, could you have another one please, I am snackish
How clever of l’ortolan to have an open day AND arrange for the weather to be glorious. The setting itself is stunning, a beautiful house built over 150 years ago in a gorgeous setting. The layout is very Country House but comfortable and welcoming as well. I seriously considered snaffling a couple of the cushions in my handbag (those who have seen my handbag wont see this as an empty threat, however that would have squished any canapés I may have already snaffled).
There is a new chef now at l’ortolan who I haven’t yet reviewed or interviewed but I am sure will be superb. His name is Tom Clark and he has worked at the award winning restaurant for quite a while.
On my l’ortolan bucket list are the ladies lunches, the chefs table and the courses, details of all are on the website. Champagne lunches start at under £40! There is also something called a social lunch which must make use of one of the amazing private function rooms upstairs which are beautiful and would make a great party room or use by corporates if they love and appreciate their staff. I would certainly turn up to work he next day if I got a lunch at l’ortolan. Wise management policy.
Home made chocolates, hard to resist
Cheese from Turners Fine Foods, definitely worth a review, l’ortolans cheese board (huge trolley) is incredible – I have done a blog on http://www.leilaslocallarder.com that features the cheese course heavily.
Tom Clark with The Big Green Egg, oh how I long for one of these and the food he was producing from it tasted perfect.
It just so happened that I bumped into Trinity Marsh from an art shop in Reading, we used to be neighbours and spent a month in Kenya together, what a coincidence.
Finallly this is what was left of the canapés, I would like to say i had eaten the lot but I arrived late from having my arm xrayed. However if the tray had been full when I got there it would still have looked like that after I had been at it. Canapés. My favourite food.
Hopefully I will be having a go at one of the cookery courses, interviewing Tom but would also love to interview the owner, Peter Newman, who seems to have a fascinating tale to tell.
Woodspeen – Stunning in every way
A lot of people now love fame, everyone wants their 15 minutes and if they cant have it then they want to know someone who has. Whilst I wasn’t a Donny Osmond or Bay City Rollers fan when I was young (now you know how old I am) my hero was James Taylor. I saw him every time he toured in the UK, named my first son James and have even surged at one of his concerts. This was a full auditorium and I was determined to get to the front at some point so at what my friend and I considered to be the right moment we rushed to the front. Then we looked around to see that all the other middle aged members of the audience were looking at us with some bemusement. We were the only surgers. We then had to do the walk of shame back to our seats, heads down so no one could see the intense embarrassment in a theatre full of non surging accountants, solicitors and social workers that appear to make up the majority of JT fans. There is a point to this story.
I was meant to interview Chef John Campbell many months ago but first my car broke down. Then I broke one wrist, then I broke my thumb. I was starting to wonder if God was warning me off but I hitched up my big girl knickers and gave it one more go. Actually I am amazed he was prepared to still let me interview him but he is a thoroughly good egg. That, dear readers, was a huge shock. He is a chef of renown, I will be honest, I was a tad scared of interviewing him and took my lovely friend, Phil Palmer from Two Cocks Brewery, along as moral support and general good company. Well I didn’t need the moral support because Mr Campbell was in fact very nice although Phil’s company was great! My terror had been totally unnecessary. Apart from James Taylor my heroes are Chefs and meeting John was just great for me. I would have surged for him and in fact did ask if I could live at the bottom of his garden but that made him look rather worried!
As with a number of other amazing chefs he was just brilliant, totally passionate and incredibly knowledgeable about food. He does cookery classes and I am determined to get myself along to try them. The teaching kitchen is state of the art and there are always extremely talented chefs on hand to help including Chef John Campbell himself. Swoon. I did that terrible thing where I asked about the best time to feed my sour dough (this is like meeting a doctor and asking him to look at the boil on your whatever). He was utterly gracious and answered me but in such detail that I wish I had taped that bit. I understood many of the words separately but the sentences were way above my head.
The food we ate was astonishingly flavoursome, pure and clean and addictive. I must go back. As always I am not going to tell you everything about the food we ate because you need to go there to eat it mwahahahaha, just be assured that I would be very surprised if you didn’t love it. Also I am not sure that we could be friends.
Phil Palmer from Two Cocks Brewery, a funghi (sorry)
Who does the most amazing bread, home made butter and home made hummus to snack on? Well the Woodspeen obviously followed by the most delicious amuse bouche of gazpacho which tasted simply wonderful but I am sure there was no simplicity about it
Braised lamb neck fillet, smoked wet garlic potato, plot peas and pickled beetroot
Ok I have to tell you about this dish, it is a cauliflower cheese risotto with broad beans, pickled onions and ham hock and was delicious
And this one which was home smoked salmon but in a chunk served with asparagus and poached egg, all perfect
Smoked ham and chicken terrine, kohlrabi, apple and yuzu, brioche
Oh my the scrumminess of chargrilled chicken, mushroom and asparagus tart fine and summer truffle. A plate licker
Also I have to mention these amazing caramelly chocolatey fudgey delicious petit four infused with Two Cocks malt
Ooh look, the ideal Christmas present that should be on sale by then, a home sous vide! Also you can get a set lunch for £18 for two courses.
Chef John Campbell and Phil Palmer outside the amazing teaching kitchen by the side of the most incredible garden where he is growing as many herbs and vegetables as he can and uses in his kitchen.
Chef John Campbell gets extra points for offering to help West Berkshire Mencap, he is involved with his local community and wants to continue so I am not missing this opportunity. Daniel Galmiche came to see WBM which was very thougthful and I am arranging a tour for John and Phil. Whoop whoop.
Leila's Local Larder 