Rachel Demuth hosted her first ever supper club last Wednesday – the only supper club in Bath – at the Vegetarian Cookery School, with cookery school chefs (and former head chefs of Demuths) Helen Lawrence and Jo Ingleby. The evening was a delight, and I was thrilled to not only be a part of the meal, but also a part of the planning, Tweeting and buzz-building that made the event not only possible, but a total success.
A large part of that success came down to a great turnout of lovely people, including Tweeters SandySom, scrapiana, EmmmaB, RealGandy, jazzcleo and KingMonkeymedia.
Of course, the menu also had something to do with it:
- Salmorejo with handmade picos (recipe here)
- Salad of fresh peas, broad beans and purple potatoes with Homewood Park Ewes Cheese
- Chili and almond mojo rojo
- Lebanese flatbreads with sumac, courgettes and Homewood Park pickled ewes cheese
- Slow roasted baby aubergines with tomatoes and peppers
- Saffron pilaf with caramelised onions
- Wild herb and edible flower salad with blackcurrant vinegar dressing
- Strawberry and rosewater granita
- Summer berry tartlets with our own cassis coulis
Click here to view all of my photos from the evening on Flickr.
I was tickled not unpleasantly when I saw the salad of fresh peas, broad beans and purple potatoes with Homewood Park ewes cheese – this was THE salad that inspired my recent recipe post: Broad Bean Salad with Ricotta and Tarragon Vinaigrette. Helen’s presentation was, well, humbling, and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it. Served with borage flowers, it was a stunning and delicious dish.
Another highlight for me was the mojo rojo, an almond and chili puree, served with lebanese flatbread topped with courgette, olives and ewes cheese. The mojo rojo was used as a condiment for the bread, and it totally rocked my world.
There was one dish that left me absolutely flummoxed – in a good way. It was the wild herb and edible flower salad that was served along side the pilaf and slow-roasted aubergines. I’ve never tasted such strong flavours – lovage, fennel tops, more borage flowers and other various things I couldn’t identify. It was crazy but I loved it – a great match to the aubergine.
So, another great night of food and good company in the southwest of England. I’m really growing very attached to this little part of the world. Thanks to the crew at the cookery school for hosting; I’m already looking forward to the next supper club.
Related links:
- Demuths Supper Club at The Vegetarian Cookery School – my Flickr photo set
- Our first supper club – post on the Demuths blog
- Demuths First Supperclub – The Vegetarian Cookery School’s Flickr photo set
Sounds like a fun evening and well done for playing your part. If only Bath was a little closer!!!! Good to see some familiar faces – ie Helen, Jo and Rachel. We were very impressed with Jo and Helen as teachers on the course we attended last year. Glad to see purple potatoes have got out into the foodie world. We seemed to be a lone grower for years.
You really captured all the vivid colour of that gorgeous food in your beautiful pictures. Nicely done! And wasn't it extraordinary to have such central city views (notably the Abbey just next door)? 100% wow.
Choclette, it was a fun evening and yes, it's a shame that Bath isn't as accessible as many people would like it to be. It's cool you've been able to go on a course though. Helen and Jo are really great teachers and amazing chefs. The purple potatoes were delightful. 🙂
Scrapiana, thank you! It was extraordinary… I tried to capture the Abbey view but the picture just doesn't do it justice: view of Bath Abbey from the cookery school.
Beautiful supperclub! I'm jonesing for some of that flatbread.
Hey Monica – the night and event look amazing. As does the food! Great photography. As I always say – you can't go wrong with sumac. 🙂