There are few things more civilised than a good lunch. I had two this week. The first was with Sir Henry Beddingfeld. sir Henry is responsible for designing and maintaining the coats of arms awarded to such people as Bercow and Catherine Middleton. I love it when he mentioned to some American Friends that his family house was built by one of his ancestors about ' ten years before Christopher Columbus discovered America'. We started off with a wet and a dry martini made by Swanny at the Merican Bar in the Savoy and then had steak tartare and venison with good wines in the River Room overlooking the Thames. of course I had screwed up the bookings, but they still managed to get us one of the best tables even though it was full. The puddings (I had liquorice brûlée and Henry had a chocolate ball that exploded) were exquisite and the sommelier recommended delicious pudding wines too.
The next day I cooked a lunch for my father and his friends... Baked ham, broad beans, beetroot, fresh horseradish, carrots and mash all washed down with a good Malbac and followed by hot blackberries and vanilla ice-cream and a nice Beaume de Vernise. I have just mad my father some carrot and coriander soup as well as a credible French Onion soup for the week end. I was surprised to see Zac Goldsmith in Waitrose on Sheen Lane whilst shopping for ingredients - think he might have been canvassing rather than shopping...
The next day I cooked a lunch for my father and his friends... Baked ham, broad beans, beetroot, fresh horseradish, carrots and mash all washed down with a good Malbac and followed by hot blackberries and vanilla ice-cream and a nice Beaume de Vernise. I have just mad my father some carrot and coriander soup as well as a credible French Onion soup for the week end. I was surprised to see Zac Goldsmith in Waitrose on Sheen Lane whilst shopping for ingredients - think he might have been canvassing rather than shopping...