Afternoon Tea at the Chestefield Hotel, Mayfair.

The Art of Tea

Traditional British Afternoon Tea seems to be a dying dining form in London as I discovered on my search for a truly authentic experience for one of my French students. Now I'm not talking about the Ritz or Claridges' which do exquisite teas; but we were looking for something more traditional, less fussy, more understated yet elegant.  The Chesterfield Hotel was exactly what we wanted. It started from the telephone booking  - friendly and professional. Arriving at the hotel we received greetings from everyone we encountered before being welcomed like long lost family by Loris Luchinni, their award winning Restaurant Manager. After settling into the lovely conservatory, a superb afternoon of delights unfolded.

A tray of delights!

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry conserves.
Now, this is what scones should taste like.  Everyone talks about how easy scones are to make, but most I've tasted in and around London turn into yeasty dough balls in your mouth.  These, on the other hand,  were delightfully fresh and  delicately flavoured with a spice - nutmeg maybe?

Delicious finger sandwiches of Scottish Salmon, ham and cheese, cucumber and butter, and coronation chicken with toasted nuts. This last one was amazing!

All of this was washed down with the Afternoon Blend tea (Assam and  Ceylon tea) for my student and a flowering Jasmine and Orange Lily tea for me.

Yummy, but we could not eat the entire lot. So...

We got a doggy bag ( my student thought my sons would love these - and they did!). The lovely restaurant staff boxed up our leftovers and added the red carnation! Now how's that for a doggy bag?

This hotel has won  awards for its Afternoon Tea  for three years now and after today's experience, I can say they truly deserve it! We had an absolutely fabulous Tea; excellent, warm and friendly service; and it is so nice to see people who understand that service is an art form and are striving to be at the top of their game. If I ever get a banker's bonus, I would certainly leave them a huge tip!!

Thanks to my student for this treat, and our compliments and thanks to Loris and his excellent team!

Eat the World Fusion: Cyprus & the Middle East

This meal was inspired by recipes in The Guardian Newspaper by one of London's hottest Chefs, Yottam Ottolenghi. Check him out here http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/. I haven't gotten his cook book yet, but  have enough of his recipes to experiment with. This dish is not based on any one recipe in particular; I simply threw things together and was glad when it all turned out rather well.

Griddled Halloumi, Courgette, and Sun Dried Tomato and  Pomegranate Salad

Key ingredients: Slices of Cypriot Halloumi cheese and oval shaped courgette slices fried in a bit of olive oil on a stove-top griddle. Use the small amount of liquid left in the pan to make a dressing by adding a splash of balsamic vinegar. Toss cheese and courgettes with sundried tomatoes from your local deli, sprinkle with black pepper, fresh rocket and pomegranite seeds. Ottolenghi uses pomegranate molasses in his salads but I have not gotten a supply of this yet! Until then, this is still delightful combination.

Peri Peri Spatchcock Chicken

The chicken is a large one, splayed open spatchcock or butterfly style, seasoned and marinated overnight in pepper, paprika, garlic, Season Salt and peri peri powder and then grilled in the oven. 

Couscous with dried tomatoes and red onions and cumin

Couscous is a great substitute for rice, potatoes or pasta. It can be mixed with a range of herbs and spices to match the theme of your meal. In this case, I continue the Middle Eastern/Mediterranean fusion by adding bits of sun-dried tomatoes, red onions and cumin.

Happy Valentines Day with Chocolate Truffles

With Valentines' Day approaching, what appropriate way to prepare than for  me to learn how to make chocolate truffles. So off I went with my friend Anna to a Masterclass led by one of the chefs from Chocolate Boutique Hotel. Jerry was informative, funny  and entertaining and able to give us some basic skills in an hour and a half. Some new (for me) facts about chocolate he imparted:

1. It is a fruit - so eat dark chocolate as one of your five a day!

2. A bit of dark chocolate and a glass of Merlot a day will cut your chances of having a heart attack.

3. Three of the best chocolates in the world are: Valrhona, Francois Pralus and Michel Cluizel. We sampled them and they are definitely worth tracking down. I warn you, once you taste them you won't want to eat an ordinary chocolate bar again!

Here are the sweet results of our chocolate making efforts. Watch this space for repeat attempts!