Page 129 – A Little Bird

7th January 201526th October 2021

Potage: a delicious food delivery service

If you’re looking for a new way to eat more healthily this year, then Potage might be just the ticket. A food delivery service set up in October 2012 by Georgia Cummings, her aim was to make ‘eating well easy’ and we think she has done just that. All the food is freshly prepared using organic meat and eggs with fresh vegetables from the local market. The menu changes daily and the food is delivered in chilled pots that you can heat in 5 minutes (potage is French for ‘food from a pot’). We tried the fresh tuna steak with black rice salad, the beef chilli con carne and the chickpea, sweet potato and tamarind stew. All delicious, as were the extras such as the baba ganoush and hummus. And it isn’t too virtuous either, there’s brownies and cake slices, if you’re feeling extra peckish. Main dishes are around £7.50 and delivery to central London is free (you can check your postcode on the site), all using chic recycled packaging. Affordable, nutritious and delicious – now you have no excuses!

7th January 201531st August 2022

Melrose and Morgan’s Store Cupboard Star Recipes and Tips

Our grannies knew about building their kitchen store cupboards – gluts of summer fruit diligently preserved as jams and fruit syrups, meat and fish salted to use for the coming months and various pickled things lining the shelves and inevitably popping up to accompany anything from meat pies and terrines to seasonal salads.

They knew how to make the best of each season and to have plenty of good quality essentials; stone milled flour, a range of cooking oils, vinegars, nuts and seeds and dried pulses, on hand to ‘oil the wheels’ of kitchen preparation.

Of course, our grannies probably didn’t spend their lives in an office and they certainly didn’t have the luxury of late night supermarkets to rely on. Their careful planning and frugality were born out of necessity, but the skills required needn’t be a lost art. With just a little bit of thought and only a few moments in the kitchen, you can have the makings of easy weekday suppers and weekend treats waiting patiently for you in your fridge, freezer and store cupboard.

Most importantly, you can ditch the post work supermarket dash and take a leisurely stroll home knowing there are treasures in store. Here are some of our favourites:

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Store in the fridge and pull out for easy mid-week suppers. We like to stir through pasta, or to top a simple risotto, and it’s a great base to create something entirely new – try cooking it down with dried chill and a little honey to make a sticky relish for grilled chicken or pork.

Preheat the oven to110°C/225°F/gas mark 1⁄4.Wash and halve a punnet or two of cherry tomatoes and lay them on a baking parchment-lined baking sheet, cut-side up. Season each with sea salt and one or two leaves of thyme and drizzle with light olive oil. Cook for about 2 hours, depending on size. Low and slow is key here to dry out the tomatoes without scorching them. Try one to check if they are done: they should have shrunk to half the size and taste intensely tomatoey. Place into sterilised jars and cover with more oil. They will last for a month if kept in the fridge.

Herbed Butters

An ideal freezer standby – slice from frozen to add an instant hit of flavour. For each variety, beat the butter in an electric mixer until soft. Add the herbs and season with a good twist of freshly ground black pepper. Form into logs, wrap in cling film and freeze.

Garden Herb
Serve with simply boiled potatoes, use to cook an omelette or enrich a sauce.
125 g salted butter, softened
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves
1 tbsp finely chopped dill
1 tbsp finely chopped chervil leaves

Sage and Garlic
Serve with roast chicken, push under the skin of a turkey (pre-roast), or melt over pumpkin ravioli.
125 g salted butter, softened
2 tbsp finely chopped sage leaves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Chocolate Spread

Something for the weekend – indulge yourself with this simple, satisfying treat. We spread it on our breakfast toast – London Bloomer is our favourite – or use it to top toasted brioche with crushed hazelnuts and sliced banana. When feeling a little decadent its excellent warmed and poured over vanilla ice cream too.

Blitz 50 g of blanched, toasted hazelnuts in a food processor. Add 20 g of icing sugar and 100 g of melted dark chocolate and blitz again. Add 40 ml of hazelnut or light groundnut oil with 1⁄4 tsp vanilla extract. Blitz until smooth. Pot into a sterilised 200 ml jar and store in a cool, dry place – we tend not to store it in the fridge as it goes a bit hard.

Bircher muesli

Mid-week breakfast – virtuous, delicious and on standby to throw together with milk, fruit juice or yogurt all week.

The night before, mix 75 g of jumbo rolled oats, 75 g of dried fruit and 75 g of toasted nuts and seeds together in a bowl. Grate an apple into the mixture and pour over 250 ml of milk or apple juice. Mix, cover with cling film and place in the fridge. The muesli will be ready to serve the next morning. You can add more milk or juice if required and fresh berries or other fruit. Makes 2 generous servings.

Crumble mix

Sunday lunch pud – ready and waiting to scatter over apples, pears, stone fruit or berries. Just throw in the oven when you sit down to eat your roast.

Preheat the oven to180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Pulse in a food processor: 150 g of chilled unsalted butter, 200 g of plain flour, 100 g of caster sugar and 125 g of jumbo oats to make a crumb. Stir in 2 tbsp of runny honey, a handful of chopped almonds and a pinch of salt. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, to bake over fruit compotes (be careful, as it has been par-baked so can scorch), or as a cold topping for ice creams or curd tarts. Or freeze it for up to six months. Makes enough for a family-sized crumble.

Good Food for Your Table: A Grocer’s Guide by Melrose and Morgan, £25, is available from Amazon and at all good book shops.

10th December 201431st August 2022

Christmas crackers by Beggars’ Velvet

We’ve ordered one beautiful box of these extravagant and unusual Christmas crackers and feel extremely pleased with ourselves for doing so. They are hand printed and individually put together by Beggars’ Velvet and each one contains a small gift from the past (complete with description), an epigram (meant to be read aloud), a gold hat, and of course a bang. But oh, they are so much more than the sum of their parts. They have the word Cossack printed on them, which is what Tom Smith of London, the man who invented the Christmas cracker in 1847, christened them, after the Russian soldiers who rode horses while firing bullets into the air, and they do seem like they’ve flown in from another century, though quite which one you won’t know until you pull them, as the gifts range from a 1st Century AD Roman coin to a painted lead die-cast toy solder from 1945. These crackers aren’t cheap and they aren’t for kids (some of the toys contain lead), but they are showstoppers for your Christmas table and they really do come beribboned with bells and tassels. As you might imagine there aren’t too many of them either, and they have been made as a limited edition. If you want to order a box or two (which you can do by emailing queries@beggarsvelvet.london) do get your skates on. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

10th December 201421st December 2014

Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography by Meryle Secrest

Elsa Schiaparelli may not be a household name like her arch rival Coco Chanel, but during the inter-war years the Italian designer was wildly influential and just as talked about. And just like Chanel, Schiaparelli had a fascinating life and one well worth revisiting even if you only have a passing interest in the fabulous, game-changing clothes she created. Meryle Secrest is the latest biographer to delve into the Italian designer’s colourful, crazy and sometimes tragic life.

Born in Rome in 1890, Schiaparelli soon shrugged off her middle-class background and her parent’s plans to find a good match, to travel first to Paris and then to London where at 23 she married a man who was anything but the perfect match – a palm reader and medium called Wilhelm de Wendt de Kerlor who would later be thrown out of the country. The couple relocated to New York where they had a daughter Maria Luisa and then promptly split up. Schiaparelli’s future would however be far more illustrious – she moved to Paris and set up her own business creating extravagant gowns for her society friends. She made clothes for trend-setters like Daisy Fellowes and, most famously, the Duchess of Windsor who wore Schiaparelli’s Surrealist lobster dress. She befriended Salvador Dali with whom she collaborated on Surrealist clothes and accessories and was also friends with Cocteau and Man Ray. At the height of her fame, Schiaparelli was considered one of the most influential international designers, famed for her fearless colour combinations, thoroughly modern approach and sometimes eccentric cuts. But despite her fame, post-World War II she never recovered from her association with the Nazis (she was friends with Hitler’s Ambassador to Paris and there were rumours that she was a spy). Her creativity dwindled and she eventually closed her business in 1954.

Secrest’s biography (which incidentally was also Radio 4’s Book of the Week this week) is the perfect introduction if you know nothing about the designer – but it’s also an interesting read if you’re already familiar with her story.

10th December 201426th October 2021

Hemsley & Hemsley’s Favourite Food Suppliers

Hansen & Lyderson – Based in Stoke Newington, Hansen & Lydersen use an old-style smoking kiln and produce their salmon according to the long-standing smoking traditions that have made their family’s success in Kirkenes, Northern Norway. Every salmon is prepared less than 48 hours after it has been fished. After being carefully hand-filleted and cured with rock salt, every fish is traditionally hung and slowly cold-smoked at the smokehouse in Stoke Newington before being sliced into thick meaty slices. Ole Martin-Hansen smokes his salmon in east London, but the recipe comes from his great-grandfather, the first of four generations of Norwegian salmon smokers, using a special family recipe including juniper and beech wood. Available in some of the best restaurants, and to buy online.

Infinity Foods, Brighton – We love Infinity for bulk buying dry goods and harder to find ingredients. They’re our main pantry ingredient supplier since we started the business started 5 years ago. You’’ll find their label in health food shops all over. From Kombucha to cleaning products, they’re our go-to supplier for organic, fair trade and ethically sourced products.

Wild Beef Company (Lizzy and Richard Vines) – Founded on old-fashioned farming methods, Wild Beef produced high quality, grass fed, organic beef. Their animals lead an ideal, unhurried existence, browsing the moors and meadows. They thrive on the unploughed grasses, herbs, weeds and shrubs that root deeply on the unimproved meadows and chalk downs of Wiltshire and peat uplands of Dartmoor, Devon. By raising the animals on nutrient-rich unimproved pastures the minerals and trace elements are retained in the beef. As all food originates in the soil, it follows that the soil with the greatest fertility (minerals and trace elements) will produce food of the highest nutritional worth. Available in Somerset, London’s Broadway and Borough markets and online, we love using their produce for some of our favourite dishes such as Bone Broth, Bone Marrow and Courgetti Ragu. Perfect for winter.

Hook and Son – Purveyors of raw, organic dairy, the Hook family have been farming in East Sussex for at least 250 years. Their product is fresh, unhomogenised and unpasteurised, just as nature intended. We love Hook and Son for delicious grass-fed milk, butter and ghee. Their product is available through their website and at Borough Market, London.

Riverford Organic Farms – We’re big fans of Riverford Vegetable boxes and have been buying from them since our mum introduced us to them 10 years ago. Having organic fruit and vegetables delivered straight to your door is a simple and efficient way to enjoy a variety of fresh, seasonal produce weekly. Eating seasonally is a fun, nutritious way to enjoy the best of what’s in season. It encourages you to cook with ingredients you’ve perhaps never tried and to be creative in the dishes that you create. Eating this way also exposes you to a myriad of nutrients and ingredients that may not be commercially available in supermarkets. We took a trip to Riverford Farm to discover the farm, their philosophy and practice, and of course, to cook a delicious Courgetti Ragu using products straight from the farm. View the video here.

Kernow Sashimi – Sustainable and ethically caught is what Cornwall fisherman Chris Bean prides himself on. Fishing for 42 years, Chris arrived in this position by default and carried on. Always wanting a job with ‘hairs on its chest’, sustainable fishing fit the bill. Fishing (as opposed to farming) doesn’t disturb the natural order of things. Chris, is now their sole fisherman as opposed to using offshore product.

Brambletye Fruit Farm and Orchard Eggs – One of the UK’s few biodynamic farms. The farm supplied fruit and eggs to farmers’ markets, supermarkets and local independents. Founded on traditional farming methods, the chickens eat their food from the orchard floor and fertiliser is then put back into the land creating a sustainable cycle. Their produce is stocked at some of our favourite markets such as Maltby Street and Borough. We were lucky enough to take a trip to Brambletye lane for a tour of the orchards with Stein and Ellie.

Blackwoods Cheese Company – Developed in 2013, Blackwoods is an artisan cheese producer based in Brockley, London. All their cheeses are handmade using organic raw cows’ milk, collected from Commonwork Organic Farm in Kent. Run by partners David Holton, Rory Holwerda and Cameron Rowan, they boast over ten years combined experience in the making, maturing and selling of artisan cheeses.

Natoora Vegetables – Natoora was founded in 2001 in Paris with a network of 120 French farmers delivering fresh food to Paris and later the whole of France. In 2004, the concept was brought across the Channel, enabling us to access the same fresh food in London. They offer quality produce from markets of France, Italy and Britain, straight to your kitchen!

Baldwins – Jasmine’s local health food shop that was established in 1844. We come here to try out new health food brands, pick up essential oils, eco cleaning products and cold pressed oils such as sweet almond and sesame oil to make cost effective body oils and pick up some sauerkraut if we run out unexpectedly from our own homemade batches.

9th December 20141st March 2018

Joe Eula: Master of Twentieth Century Fashion Illustration

When Cathy Horyn, the brilliant, razor-sharp fashion critic at The New York Times, left her post earlier this year we mourned the loss of one of our favourite writers. Horyn is a terrific chronicler of the fashion world – incisive, witty and always on the money. And while she may not have been whipping out her reviews and columns at lightning speed since then, she has been working on other projects – and first up is a gorgeous book, Joe Eula: Master of Twentieth Century Fashion Illustration. He’s not as well known as say René Gruau or Carl Erickson, but Eula is no less important. He worked for brands such as Chanel, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent, for magazines including Italian Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar as well as working as a graphic artist on Broadway posters and album covers. But Eula was also a major multi-tasker, working as a stylist, designer and creative director – most famously at Halston where he worked during the 70s – the decade in which he was also at the epicentre of Manhattan society and described by Andy Warhol as “the most important person in New York”. Horyn’s book is not only a really great read (she first met Eula in 2001 when she went to interview him for another book) but it’s also packed with 200 images covering all of Eula’s work including his portraits of stars from Marlene Dietrich and Elizabeth Taylor to Liza Minelli and Coco Chanel and more surprising work – such as his truly beautiful floral water-colours.

8th December 201431st August 2022

Serial

We admit, we’re a bit late to Serial, the most downloaded podcast ever, which now rakes in 1.5 million (and counting) listeners per episode. In America – and it’s an American podcast, made by the producers of the hugely popular radio show This American Life – it’s been a phenomenon for weeks, and word has now very firmly spread to these shores. But actually, it doesn’t really matter when you discover Serial as long as you listen to the episodes in order (and you can download them and listen to them while you are travelling, say, as well as through the i-cloud). They tell the story of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. He’s been in prison ever since, but the case against him is incredibly thin. It’s not conclusively, absolutely, slam-dunk see-through however, which is where the tension of the podcast lies. Sarah Koenig, who presents Serial, unpicks the evidence, bit by bit, which is compelling enough, but it’s her style of reporting that makes this podcast unlike any other investigation story you’ve seen on TV or heard on the radio. She is, at turns, surprised, ambivalent, disappointed and encouraged as she paintstakingly rakes over every detail of the case looking for clues, and she conveys all this entirely naturally, without any kind of performance. She’s just straightforwardly brilliant at both investigative journalism and story telling (with neither skill or art being compromised by the other), and that’s quite a rare thing. Plus, it helps that Syed, was, until his conviction, a young, high-achieving, well liked high school kid, and is articulate, intelligent and likeable whenever Koenig talks to him by telephone. It’s easy to root for him. It all adds up to a totally gripping series. We’re on episode ten and are dying to hear the final two podcasts, which will be released this Thursday and next. Until then, no one knows what will happen, including Koenig, who is still unravelling her story as she tells it. Listen now!

19th November 201431st August 2022

The best Christmas Fairs

Believe us when we say that we’ve been to a great many Christmas fairs and sales over the years, whether it be artists and artisans opening their studios, or carefully chosen larger collectives gathered together at someone’s house or a make-shift market place. Many are disappointing (so much posh tat!) A good many are OK. But the sales below are fab.

Hand Sale, 291 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill: Thursday 20th – Saturday 22nd November.

There are so many lovely things for sale at the Hand Sale, but we always make a special beeline for Lola’s Bazaar (delicious olive oil, lovely ceramics from Portugal), Trouver Antiques (great gardening and kitchen stuff, lovely cushions and prints), Fliff Carr (divine hand-made ceramics), Molly Mahon (great block printed textiles), and Dandy Starr (brill T-shirts for kids).

Christmas Sale in aid of Child Bereavement, 14 Randolph Road, Little Venice: Wednesday 26th November.

This sale takes place in an incredible house in Little Venice and is in aid of the excellent Child Bereavement Charity. There are well known names here – jewellers Pippa Small and Sia Taylor, kids clothes and knitwear by ilovegorgeous and Little Badger, pyjamas by Poplin, textiles by Charlene Mullen, but the stand we’ll be running to fastest is Beggars’ Velvet – who hand-make useful and beautiful things for daily use that are ostensibly simple (cheese boards, aprons, spoons, cushions, lamps, bags etc), but which have been elevated into treasures without becoming too precious. Their use of epigrams and words is particularly original and amusing, and their Christmas crackers are the absolute best we’ve ever seen.

Cressida Bell, 24 Clarence Mews, Hackney: Thursday 27th – 29th, November.

It’s worth going to Cressida Bell’s sale just to glimpse the decorative artist’s wonderful studio, but on top of that, her cushions, lamps, fabrics, scarves, ties, posters, prints, wash bags, cards and other things are gorgeous, and make great Christmas presents. (We’ve raved about Bell before, here). Plus, a few doors down, on the Sunday 30th that Cressida’s studio is open, there are more studios open with lots of other wares for sale. And, while you’re in that neck of the woods, why not make a day of it and trip down Chatsworth Road, ten minutes walk away, the delights of which you can read about here.

Hackney Makers Monthly, Clarence Mews, Hackney, Sunday 30th November 11am – 5pm.

18th November 201426th October 2021

A Little Bird Event: Wreath workshop at Clifton Nurseries

Last year we had a ball at our festive wreath making workshops at Clifton Nurseries. And they were a pretty instant sell-out. So this year we are joining forces once more to host five workshops in the run-up to Christmas. As well as expert advice from Sarah Glenny – who will guide you through all the steps to make your own stunning wreath – there will be heaps of materials, warming mulled wine to add some festive cheer and, once you have created your masterpiece, you can also shop at Clifton and enjoy 10% off any purchases on the day. The workshops will be held on Saturday 6th December at 11am, 2pm and 5pm and on Sunday 7th December at midday and 2pm. To book tickets online click here or if you prefer you can call Clifton Nurseries on the number below.

5th November 201426th October 2021

The Crumbs Family Cookbook

Despite embracing the web for almost everything in our lives, we’ve always preferred to keep our cooking firmly rooted in books – whether much-loved old classics or new favourites. We’ve never really been seduced by the myriad foodie apps available or, for that matter, tuned into videos or tutorials. Which is probably why we’d never heard of sister duo Lucy and Claire McDonald whose Crumbs Food YouTube channel is a hugely popular destination for family food ideas. But now the bloggers – and working mothers – have poured all their time-saving ideas into one place – The Crumbs Family Cookbook. There’s an odd gap in the market for family-focussed cooking, probably because it’s not quite as sexy as a culinary voyage around the Levant or as seductive as a baking bible. But no matter, because the McDonald sisters have transformed family cooking into an entertaining book that’s packed with good ideas from suggestions for weekend breakfasts (there’s even a breakfast cake) and seriously cosy comfort food through to kids’ suppers to whip up in a matter of minutes (like the utterly stress-free salmon and dill pasta) to slightly more time-consuming but worth it weekend lunches. This isn’t the most inventive or sophisticated food (although it’s probably how most of us eat), but for stressed out parents who need some guidance this book will most probably be a gem.

3rd November 201431st August 2022

Luke Edward Hall’s Favourite Big Books

Barnaba Fornasetti: Fornasetti: The Complete Universe

I’d been eyeing up this volume for some time until, back in August, I was given a copy by my friend/colleague in return for a week of dog sitting her extremely well behaved poodle, Max. (A complete win/win scenario!) In the arena of gorgeous decorative objets, The Complete Universe really is as close to some sort of holy text as you’re going to get. Clocking in at 700 pages, this elaborate and extraordinarily hefty tome covers the world of Fornasetti in its entirety, with over 3,000 images and illustrations of founder Piero’s (and his son Barnaba’s) iconic wares. From silk scarves, ties and umbrella stands to lamps, ashtrays, mirrors and decorated porcelain – they’re all covered. I’ve taken to dipping in and out when in need of inspiration. Mind-bogglingly vast and brilliant.

Miles Redd: The Big Book of Chic

It does what it says on the tin. This book is so very chic. I can’t remember where I first came across Miles Redd, the Atlanta-born, Manhattan-based decorator, but these days I can’t get enough of his interior creations. Chronicling the fantastical settings Redd has pieced together, The Big Book of Chic sifts through the Beaton Portraits, Cocteau sketches and Fitzgerald novels that have influenced his dramatic style. Redd says his book is ‘a personal blend of work and fantasy’ and ‘about dreams coming true’. Turning the pages of this book does indeed feel a bit like attending a dreamy, glamorous dinner party-cum-sleepover. It’s a whirlwind of polished cutlery, silver julep cups, marble bathrooms and giant four-posters. The quotes littering the pale blue pages throughout (from some of my favourite novels no less) are another highlight.

Gert Voorjans: Interior Life

I stumbled upon Interior Life earlier this year, in Daunt Books on the Fulham Road. What a strikingly simple and beautiful cover, I remember thinking. Voorjans is a Belgian interior designer with a richly layered aesthetic I greatly admire; colourful, eclectic, elegant and eccentric, mixing eras and cultures to harmonious effect. He has designed fellow Belgian Dries Van Noten’s retail empire, creating decadent environments layered with decorative pieces from around the globe. This is a huge, dazzling tome, a visual feast of a book, which captures Voorjans’ style and provides a window into his way of thinking. Packed with clippings and mood boards, Interior Life is a work of art in its own right – it features papers varying in thickness, size and colour, Japanese binding and no less than ten colourful bookmark ribbons.

Mirabel Cecil, Hugh Cecil: In Search of Rex Whistler: His Life and His Work

Rex Whistler painted murals, portraits, landscapes and conversation pieces; he created theatre sets, costumes, book illustrations, dust jackets and Christmas cards; he designed advertisements for Guinness and Shell, a Valentine telegram for the Post Office, an Axminster carpet and a Toile de Jouy fabric with views of a Cornish fishing village, among much else. I’m a great fan of Whistler’s work, and this book provides a rich record of the artist’s achievement, as well as a portrait of the man himself. The diversity of Whistler’s creative output inspires me to no end. I’ve recently taken to scouring second-hand bookshops and eBay for crumbling old books wrapped in his beautifully designed jackets, and I jump at every chance I get to visit his charming mural at the Tate Britain. You’ll find Whistler’s pastoral scenes decorating the walls of the Refreshment Room in the basement (now the Rex Whistler Restaurant), which was described as ‘the most amusing room in Europe’ when it opened in 1927.

Tim Walker: Pictures

A classic, of course, and definitely my most beloved big book, Pictures offers a glimpse into the creative process used by my favourite photographer, Tim Walker. Stuffed with sketches, notes, Polaroids and contact sheets, it’s another source of limitless inspiration. Indeed, my much-loved and much-thumbed copy has a ripped jacket and is practically on the verge of disintegrating. Swans, horses, model castles, burning pianos, entire suits of armour covered in pink satin; every page conjures up a feast for the eyes. To my mind, nobody else’s photographs will ever come close to Walker’s – he’s a one of a kind, a magician with a penchant for the surreal. For me, an ideal afternoon would include an hour or two curled up in an armchair with Pictures (and probably a tower of hot buttered crumpets), somewhere deep in the countryside. It’d be raining outside and I’d end up falling asleep with this wonderful book in my arms, dreaming of country houses and peacock feathers, white rabbits and blue elephants…

28th October 201426th October 2021

Spring

Sometimes it feels like another week, and yet another restaurant opening in London. Yet the recent launch of Spring from chef Skye Gyngell, who formerly won over legions of fans and a Michelin star to boot at The Petersham Nurseries Café, has been much anticipated by many. Gyngell searched high and low for the location for her first solo venture and has ended up in a wing of Somerset House (the first time it’s been open to the public in 150 years). It’s a grand setting but Gyngell has done well to make the nineteenth century drawing room light and airy, with blue-green wallpaper, French linen table clothes and tan leather seats (plus a gorgeous atrium garden). The waitresses wear smocks designed by Egg and the waiters, a semi-sailor outfit from Trager Delaney – both sound odd but they work – which reflect the atmosphere, sophisticated but subtle and elegant. The food similarly is beautifully presented and strictly guided by the changing seasons. We had crab cake and the veggie special, both of which melted in the mouth. We finished off with the chocolate and pear tart which we would return for again and again. It’s a grown up affair with a grown up, expensive menu (one fellow guest asked for a green salad which was blankly refused) and yes, if you book soon, you’ll find yourself sitting with the likes of Richard E Grant as we were. But we predict that, months past the grand opening, Spring will still be going strong.