Bring on a Foodie 2012!

Happy new year to you all!

To kick start 2012, I will be hosting a series of Grazing Asia and London Cooking Club events at my home in Islington in the next few weeks and months, and I hope to see some of you there.

After an inspiring two-month stay in Tokyo, I have returned to the UK with lots of new ideas and recipes to try out. If you would like to learn more about Japanese dining beyond sushi and sashimi, the Japanese Supper Clubs in January, February or March will be a good place to start.

If you would like to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, Malaysian by May's Chinese New Year Special events on the 27th and 28th January will be for you.

Or if you fancy honing your cookery skills at one of our London Cooking Club events, there are a few events scheduled in the next few months which might be of interest. From Burmese to Jewish, Neapolitan and Filipino, I hope you will find something to tickle your palate.

I am also looking for budding home cooks or professional chefs who would like to host one of our London Cooking Club events in 2012 at my home in Islington, so if you would like to share your food passions with other like minded foodies, please get in touch.

Grazing Asia

Japanese Home Cooking Supper

21st January 2012
3rd, 11th, and 25th February 2012
23rd, 24th, 30th and 31st March 2012

Hosted by Luiz Hara of The London Foodie

Location: my home, Islington, from 19:30 hours

Cost: £35 donation, BYO

Book: e-mail luizharaAThotmailDOTcom

Malaysia by May - Chinese New Year Special

27th and 28th January 2012

Hosted by May of Slow Food Kitchen

Location: my home, Islington, from 19:30 hours

Cost: £35 donation, BYO

Book: e-mail mayATgrazingasiaDOTcom

London Cooking Club

How It Works

Every month, I choose a theme, cookery book or cuisine, and have a group of readers of The London Foodie come to my home to cook, eat a delicious meal, drink and talk. I distribute a suggested menu a week or so prior to the event, the participants choose their dishes and I e-mail out all recipes. Each person contributes a dish and accompanying bottle of wine. There are no fees to pay.

If you are a foodie (an amateur home cook or a professional chef), passionate about good food and would like to share some of your culinary repertoire with us by hosting one of our London Cooking Club events at my home, please get in touch, I would like to hear from you.

If you would like to take part in one of these evenings, please contact me on luizharaAThotmailDOTcom using LONDON COOKING CLUB in the subject line.

12th February 2012 - "Jewish Cooking Club" - Hosted by foodie extraordinaire Stella Newman and Ira Dubinsky who will be devising and introducing us to a fantastic Jewish menu and recipes for London Cooking Club members.

Jewish novelist  Stella Newman is the author of Pear Shaped, a novel about love, heartbreak and food. Stella also writes her own popular food blogs Stella Newmans Blog and Pasta Friends.

A former political staffer in Canada, Ira now spends his days in London studying for an MBA and his nights studying new recipes. Ira is an amateur charcutier, occasional caterer, and DIY smoker construction expert.

18th March 2012 - "A Neapolitan Easter" - Hosted by Gina (@Gigi_nav) and Italian food blogger Fede Rilli of Pasta Bites, Italophiles and resident experts on their home cuisine.

15th April 2012 - "Discovering the Cuisine of The Philippines" - Hosted by Tina P who is devising a magnificent Filipino menu to show us what her native cuisine is all about.

Tina grew up in the Philippines but has since then lived in the US, Singapore, France, Hong Kong and now London. Growing up in a family of 9, she's had some good practice preparing large meals for a (critical) audience and now enjoys sharing her knowledge of Filipino cuisine with friends from all over the world.

London Cooking Club - An Nduja Feast by Unearthed

The London Foodie is a non-commercial blog, I do not sell advertising space and have no intention to do so in future. There are however a handful of companies that I wholeheartedly support, and Unearthed is one of them.

Founded by Simon and Carrie as recently as 2008, they started Unearthed to bring to our shores (and shelves), their food discoveries from selected artisan producers in continental Europe. In Brittany they found a smooth Duck Mousse, in Le Mans an award-winning Rillettes and in Aveyron an exceptional Saucisson Sec.

Selection of Unearthed's goodies to kick off proceedings

Their latest discovery is the Calabrian Nduja. A delicious ingredient, Nduja is a spicy spreadable sausage made from diverse parts of the pig such as the shoulder, belly and jowl as well as tripe and head,  minced with roasted peppers and a mixture of spices including paprika. It can be simply spread over  toast or used as a cooking ingredient in sauces and other dishes.

A few months ago I took part in an Nduja Recipe Challenge run by Unearthed, and devised a recipe for them using this ingredient - "Pan-Fried Halibut on Butter Beans and Nduja with a Lemon & SageDressing". I really enjoyed the experience and was pleased with the results. The combination of fish and pork worked well, and the Nduja added an extra level of "umaminess" to the dish. I loved the ingredient. If you would like to try this recipe at home you can find it here.

More recently, I was asked to host a Nduja Cooking Club at my home in Islington, and invite a few food writers to try out Unearthed's Nduja in a range of different recipes. As with my usual cooking clubs, I devised a menu and allocated a dish to each participant. It was also a great opportunity for us to meet (some for the first time) and cook together.

Trust an Italian to make good pasta, Fede at work!

We spent a fabulous Sunday afternoon together, you can see the menu we cooked below.

Pasta Bites' Linguine with Nduja, Cherry Tomatoes & Basil

Nduja Cooking Club

Menu

23rd October 2011

Canapés

Spicy Nduja Palmier

(Recipe/Prepared by May – Slow Food Kitchen)

Unearthed Mezze Platter

(Supplied by Unearthed)

Starter

Linguine with Nduja, Cherry Tomatoes & Basil

(Prepared by Fede of Pasta Bites)

Mains

Pan-Fried Cod on Butter Beans and Nduja with a Lemon and Sage Dressing

(Recipe/Prepared by Luiz & Rosana of The London Foodie & Hot and Chilli)

Pimp My Piri Piri Poussin

(Recipe by Eat Like a Girl, prepared by Qin & Nic of In Pursuit of Food and Cherrapeno)

Accompaniments

Buttered Samphire & Crispy Roast Potatoes

(Prepared by Luiz & Rosana of The London Foodie & Hot and Chilli)

Greek Salad

(Prepared by Sian of Domestic Sluttery)

Dessert

Lemon Posset

(Recipe by Kavey Eats, prepared by Cassey of A Girl Has to Eat)

Rosana's and my Pan-fried Cod with Butter Beans, Nduja and a Sage and Lemon Dressing

For more eloquent accounts of our Nduja Cooking Club, please visit the following sites:

Cherrapeno

Pasta Bites

Hot & Chilli

If you would like to join us at one of our events, visit the London Cooking Club page on this site for more information. Each person will cook one dish and bring a bottle of wine to share. There are no fees to participate in any of our London Cooking Club events.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to The London Foodie for updates via e-mail, RSS or Twitter (@thelondonfoodie) and be the first to learn when new dates are released.

Future London Cooking Club events include:

15th January 2012 - "Burma by MiMi" - Hosted by British-Burmese food blogger MiMi of Meemalee's Kitchen, and co-founder of Grazing Asia Supper Club, MiMi will be presenting us her native Burmese cuisine.

12th February 2012 - "Jewish Cooking Club" - Hosted by  Jewish novelist  Stella Newman, author of Pear Shaped, and Canadian foodie extraordinaire Ira Dubinsky who will be introducing us to a fantastic Jewish menu and recipes for London Cooking Club members.

18th March 2012 - "A Neapolitan Easter" - Hosted by Gina (@Gigi_nav) and Italian food blogger Fede Rilli of Pasta Bites, Italophiles and resident experts on their home cuisine.

NEW LONDON COOKING CLUB DATES

How It Works

Every month, I choose a theme, cookery book or cuisine, and have a group of readers of The London Foodie come to my home to cook, eat a delicious meal, drink and talk. I distribute a suggested menu a week or so prior to the event, the participants choose their dishes and I e-mail out all recipes. Each person contributes a dish and accompanying bottle of wine. There are no fees to pay.

Why

I thoroughly enjoy these evenings as they are proving to be a great meeting place for those who stumble upon this blog and who are passionate about cooking and good wine. As much as I like eating out and finding some of the London gems I write about, I also love cooking and this was primarily the reason why I started The London Foodie.

Our next London Cooking Club evening will be on:

30th July 2011 - "Lebanon" - Recipes from the fantastic cookbook by Greg and Lucy Malouf  "Saha - A Chef's Journey Through Lebanon and Syria". The evening will be held at a secret location in Greenwich, and below is the delicious menu that our members will be cooking.

Mezze

Courgette and Mint Fritters

Hummus with Spiced Marinated Lamb and Pine Nuts

Muhammara - Red Pepper, Walnut and Pomegranate Dip

Chicken Livers in Za'Atar and Parmesan Crumbs with Yoghurt, Tarragon, Cucumber Salad

Ma'hani - Spicy Lebanese Sausages with Pine Nuts

Mushroom Stuffed Vine Leaves with Herbs

Zghorta-Style Kibbeh Patties Stuffed with Cinnamon and Pine-Nut Butter

Soup

Golden Chicken Soup with Coriander, Garlic and Parsley

Mains

Confit Salmon Tarator with Coriander, Walnuts and Tahini Sauce

Lamb Shawarma - Roast Leg of Lamb in Spicy Marinade

(Served with Herb Salad, Tahini Yogurt Sauce and Arabic Flat Bread)

Accompaniment

Lebanese Nut Rice

Dessert

Watermelon and Rosewater Sorbet and Barazek*

(*Crunchy Sesame-Pistachio Biscuits)

We will also be tasting the 2004 Chateau Musar which has just been released. Chateau Musar, the top Lebanese vineyard, has kindly offered a case of wine for this event. You can read more about Chateau Musar wines here.

Other Future Dates:

20th August 2011 - "Barbecue Time!" - London Cooking Club members will bring their own favourite recipes to be shared on the barbie at Gill's beautiful home in Mill Hill. The event will kick off from 3pm.

24th September 2011 - "Canadian Cuisine by London Foodie" - It is double-trouble at the London Cooking Club as I join forces with the delightful London Foodie of Buckingham Palate  (@londonfoodie - Canadian Journalist and Foodie Extraordinaire) for an evening of Canadian food and wines.

22nd October 2011 - "Sichuan Cooking" - Hosted by Joshua of Cooking the Books, a  connoisseur and accomplished cook of Oriental cuisines, we will be cooking recipes from our food hero, the magnificent Fuchsia Dunlop.

19th November 2011 - "Burma by Mimi" - Hosted by British-Burmese food blogger Mimi of Meemalee's Kitchen, and co-founder of Grazing Asia Supper Club, Mimi will be presenting us her native Burmese cuisine.

10th December 2011 - "An Italian Christmas" - Hosted by Gina (@Gigi_nav) and Italian food blogger Fede Rilli http://twitter.com/#!/federilli), Italophiles and resident experts on their home cuisine.

If you would like to learn more about these and past events, please take a look at the London Cooking Club page on this blog. If you would like to take part in one of these evenings, please contact me on luizhara@hotmail.com using LONDON COOKING CLUB in the subject line. There are no fees to participate in any of the London Cooking Club events.

London Cooking Club - The Best of British with Guest Chef David Gillott

This month we had a very special London Cooking Club event to celebrate the Best of British food and wine. We had the pleasure of welcoming chef David Gillott, who devised a fantastic British menu for the occasion, and assisted us throughout the evening with the preparation of the dishes as well as giving us a cookery demonstration.
 

David trained at Bournemouth College, completing the Specialised Chef Course, graduating with distinction. He worked at various London locations including The Greenhouse and One Lombard Street, both of which have Michelin-Stars.

After years running his own catering company in London (David Gillott Private Chef), David is now moving to Surrey and expanding his business by opening Four Gables Fine Dining.

His new company specialises in fine dining, weddings and other events. Having had first-hand experience of David's cooking and professionalism throughout the months we took to organise the event, Four Gables Fine Dining is top of my list should I need to hire caterers.

London Cooking Club

14th May 2011

The Best of British

With Chef David Gillott

Menu

Canapés

Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef - Gina W.

Rillette of Salmon with Melba toast - Hugh and Liz

Traditional Potted Shrimps - May C.

Starters

Dressed Crab - Rosemary

Watercress Soup - Hugh and Liz

Mains

Kedgeree - Libbie

Jerusalem Artichoke Pithivier - Hana I.

Dr G's Fillet of Beef Wellington - Dr G and Luiz

Accompaniments

English Garden Salad - Su-Lin

Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce - Hugh and Liz

Dessert

Baked Egg and Vanilla Custard - Jo

Rhubarb Fool with Lemongrass and White Chocolate - David Gillott

 To find out more about this event, read Jo's beautiful and very eloquent review at the Afternoon Tease website here.

All the recipes for this event were David's with the exception of the Beef Wellington which is Dr G's all time "signature dish". As usual, we had a fantastic group of people, a mix of new and regular faces, and we had a great time cooking, drinking and talking.

If you would like to join us at one of our events, visit the London Cooking Club page on this site for more information. There are no fees to participate in any of our London Cooking Club events. Altenatively, you can subscribe to The London Foodie for updates via e-mail or RSS and be the first to learn when new dates are released.

Many thanks to David Gillott for making this such a special evening and to all members for their contribution and great company.

Dr G's Fillet of Beef Wellington

(Serves 8)

This is Dr G's signature dish, and one that we love making for special occasions. This recipe is not nearly as hard as it seems and can be prepared well in advance, making it perfect for dinners with friends or family. Don't be put off by the addition of pancakes in this recipe, these will ensure that the pastry will not get soggy as the dish is baked, and I really recommend using them even if you purchase them ready-made as we do. We like serving it with a creamy mushroom sauce poured over the meat as it is cut.

Ingredients

Meat:

25g butter
1.6kg piece fillet of beef (see note 1)

Mushroom Mixture:

15g dried porcini mushrooms
25g butter
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
350g large flat mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Other:

375g ready-made "All Butter" puff pastry
A few fine, large pancakes - optional (see note 2)
1 large egg beaten
Thyme sprigs to garnish
Served with Creamy Mushroom and Wine Sauce (see note 4)

Method:

1. Heat the butter in a frying pan. Once foaming, add the beef and brown all over. Place on a grid over a roasting tin and roast at 220°C for 20 minutes; leave to cool.

2. Soak the dried porcini in a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes. Keep the soaking liquid (ensure there is no grit in it, if there is, pass it through a fine muslin).

3. Melt the butter in a pan, add the shallots and fry for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Stir in all the mushrooms, and add a 1/3 of the soaking liquid. Cook for 5 min until dry. Add the thyme, season, and let cool.

4. Roll out a quarter of the pastry to a rectangle 2.5cm larger than the beef, this will be used as a base for the meat. Prick with a fork and bake at 220°C for 10-12 min until crisp and golden. Allow to cool, then trim to the size of the beef and place on a baking sheet.

5. Roll out the remaining pastry to a rectangle about 30 x 40 cm. Cut a small square off each corner; keep trimmings for decorating the beef later on.

6. This is the messy bit - season the beef and spread the mushroom mixture all over it. Wrap up in the pancakes (if using, I really recommend you do!), and brush with egg. Place the meat on the cooked pastry rectangle (point 4). Wrap the uncooked pastry around the beef, tucking it under the pastry base. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

7. Make a slit in the top and brush the pastry with beaten egg. Decorate with shapes cut from the pastry trimmings; brush with egg. Bake at 220°C for 35 min for medium rare, 40-45 min for medium (see note 3). Leave to stand for 10 min before serving. Garnish with thyme and serve accompanied by the creamy mushroom sauce (see note 4).

Notes:

1. Use an even-sized piece from the centre of the fillet. You may need to tie the beef at stage 1 to keep it in shape during roasting.

2. We bought Waitrose ready-made pancakes, and they worked perfectly well for this recipe.

3. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the beef; the timing in the recipe is for a piece about 10 cm (4 inches) across.

4. Recipe for Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:
30ml olive oil, 2 shallots or 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped, 175g button mushrooms, thickly sliced, 150g mixed wild mushrooms, thickly sliced, 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, 150ml white wine, 200ml creme fraiche, 100ml of water ( porcini mushroom soaking liquid from Beef Wellington), Salt and pepper.

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the shallots and cook gently for 10 min. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook over a high heat for 4-5 min until tender and all the moisture has been driven off. 2. Pour on the wine, bring to the boil and bubble until reduced by half. 3. Add the creme fraiche, soaking liquid and seasoning. Bring to the boil and bubble for 5 min or until the liquid is slightly thickened and syrupy. Add the thyme, adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.

London Cooking Club - Malaysian by May and a Recipe for Ikan Bilis

Last Saturday, on the 19th March 2011, food blogger extraordinaire May of Slow Food Kitchen co-hosted the "Malaysian by May" London Cooking Club event at my home in Islington.

Twelve diners and readers of this blog got together to cook a Malaysian meal under May's watchful eyes and assistance. All the recipes were May's and she kindly devised the menu for the event. As usual, we had a fantastic group of people, a mix of new and regular faces, and we had a great time cooking, drinking and talking.

To read more about this event, visit the Lex Eat! blog for her candid review here.

One of the dishes Dr G and I prepared was the IKAN BILIS - deep fried tiny anchovies and peanuts with caramelised onion and chilli powder. I really enjoyed cooking this, and the flavours were so unusual but in my opinion very delicious. It can be served as a snack or as a side dish. I think this would work very nicely on top of a bowl of steamed Jasmine rice!

IKAN BILIS

Deep Fried Anchovies, Peanuts with Caramelised Onion and Chilli Powder

Ingredients

• 300gr dried tiny anchovies (ikan bilis)
• 2 onions
• 180ml oil
• 150g of raw peanuts (skin on)
• 2 tbsp chilli powder
• 4-6 tbsp palm sugar

Method

 - Quickly rinse then shake the dried anchovies dry. Do not soak. Dry in the sun (!) or oven-dry for about 20 or 30 mins. Drying the anchovies will ensure that the fish will be crisp when fried. Peel the onions then finely blend them in a food processor.

 - Heat a wok over a high flame until it smokes. Add the oil. Reduce to a medium flame, then add the peanuts. Stir-fry until light golden brown. BE CAREFUL, as the peanuts will burn within seconds, so keep your eyes peeled! Remove and drain well.

 - Reheat the oil over a high flame, then add the dried anchovies. Stir fry until light golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain.

 - Discard the used oil then wipe the wok clean. Add some new oil. Stir fry the onions for a few minutes. Add the chilli powder and sugar. Stir fry for a few more minutes.

 - Lower to a medium high flame then add the peanuts and anchovies. Mix all ingredients well together in the wok, then remove from the heat.

 - Allow to cool before serving or storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!

London Cooking Club

19th March 2011

Malaysian by May

With May Chong

Canapés

Ikan Bilis and Hacang

Chicken and Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce

Cucur Udang (Prawn Fritters)

Soup

Sup Kambing - Spicy Lamb or Mutton Soup

Main Courses

 Mum's Turmeric Prawn Curry

Ikan Bakar (Barbecue Spicy Fish)

Beef Rendang

Kapitan Nyonya Chicken Curry

Accompaniments

Sambal Terung - Aubergine Sambal

Stir FriedGreen Beans in Belacan

Malaysian Vegetable Curry

Coconut Rice with Pandan Leaf

 Dessert

Sago Gula Melaka

London Cooking Club - Catalan Cooking with Guest Chef Rachel McCormack

Last Saturday the delightful Rachel McCormack of Catalan Cooking joined the London Cooking Club for an evening of Spanish cooking, cheeses and wines. Eleven other diners and readers of this blog, a mix of former and new members, were in for a treat as Rachel prepared us a sumptuous Catalan feast.

To read more about our latest event, visit the Musings of a W8 Housewife, Hot & Chilli and Kitchen Conversations blogs for their lovely reviews.

If you would like to join us at one of our events, visit the London Cooking Club page in this blog for more information. Altenatively, you can subscribe to The London Foodie for updates via e-mail or RSS and be the first to learn when new dates are published.

London Supper Club Review - Catalan Cooking

I have been following Rachel McCormack's progress with her Catalan Cooking School with great interest from its very beginning, and was pleased to hear that she had decided to start a series of supper club nights at various venues. I was lucky to have been invited along to one of these events at Bea's of Bloomsbury in Holborn in association with Codorníu.

Location

Rachel will be hosting these evenings at various locations across London, including Bea's of Bloomsbury in Holborn's Theobald Road. Her next event will be as part of our London Cooking Club series at my home in Islington on 26th February 2011, where she will be doing a cookery demonstration of several of her Catalan dishes.

Food

To start the evening, we had a selection of Tapas dishes, including olives, Iberico ham and cheese, potato tortilla among other items, served with a delicious chunky bread. A good start to the evening as these tasted authentic and of high quality.

To follow, we had an intensely flavoured "Sopa de Carn d'Olla" - a lovely chicken broth served with fresh parsley.

Rachel served a selection of main courses buffet-style. In my opinion, the stand-out dishes were the "Calamar farcit de Alberginia" (squid stuffed with aubergine), and the delicious "Conill amb Ceba" (rabbit cooked with onion).

Also very good were the "Escalivada" (roast peppers, aubergines and onions), and "Arròs al forn amb bolets" (rice cooked in the oven with wild mushrooms).

I would not claim to be an expert on Catalan cooking, but the dishes were flavoursome and hearty, and I enjoyed them a great deal. This was an introduction to a cuisine I look forward to learning more about from Rachel.

For dessert, we had "Crema Catalana" (Catalan cream) which was a delicious vanilla custard with a burnt sugar crust, followed by Bunyols del Emporda" (Catalan doughnuts) similar to Spanish Churros, and "Sopa d'avelianes amb el seu Cruixent" (hazelnut soup with crocanti and ice-cream) which was rich and nutty. The best hazelnuts in the world are said to come from Tarragona, the southern province of Catalunya.

Drinks

One of the interesting areas we learned about at the WSET Advanced Certificate Course was the various methods of production of sparkling wine. For example, the traditional method perfected in Champagne is also used by some other good quality sparkling wines in France (the Crémants), and also by law in Spain for the production of Cava.

Other well known sparkling wines such as Prosecco and Asti Spumante, while often delicious, are produced by a completely different method and are not a substitute for Champagne or Cava as they present other flavour characteristics. Traditionally, Cava is made from three indigenous Catalunyan grape varieties - Parrellada, Xarel-lo and Macabeo. More recently, Champagne grape varieties are being incorporated into the blend such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for extra complexity and elegance.

All the wines for this supper club were provided by Codorníu. I was surprised to learn that Codorníu has been making wine since 1551, and for Rachel's supper club evening, we were offered four sparkling wines from its range.

On arrival, we were served a glass of "Anna de Codorníu Brut" @ £9.99. This was a delicate and fruity wine and the first in Spain to have Chardonnnay as a varietal in its blend. This was a good accompaniment to our selection of tapas.

The "Codorníu Selección Raventós Brut" @ £9.99 was served next with the "Sopa de Carn d'Olla". Coming from selected vineyards, this wine had slightly more intense fruit aromas than the first offering, with hints of citrus and stone fruit.

For our main courses, we had the "Codorníu Reina Maria Cristina Blanc de Noirs 2008" @ £17.99. Just released in 2011, this is Spain's first ever Blanc de Noirs (a white sparkling wine made from black grapes). By far the star of the evening, this wine had unmistakeable Pinot Noir characteristics including red fruit with excellent structure and length, as well as some toasty notes akin to Champagne.

"Codorníu Pinot Noir Rosé" @ £10.99 was served with desserts. Also made entirely from Pinot Noir, this wine had an attractive pale pink colour and good fruit intensity.

People

Originally from Scotland, Rachel McCormack spent most of her 20s living in Spain, mostly Barcelona. She runs fortnightly Catalan Cooking classes at Bea's of Bloomsbury on Theobald's Road.

For the supper club, Rachel works with Franz Schinagl the former executive chef of Asia de Cuba who also runs his own Austrian supper club at Bea's.

Other Stuff:

In addition to her participation in our forthcoming London Cooking Club in Islington on the 26th February 2011, Rachel's next Supper Club Evening will be on the 20th March 2011. Her next Catalan Cooking Classes will be on the 8th and 22nd March 2011. For more information on her classes, visit the Catalan Cooking blog here.

Cost: The London Foodie was a guest of Catalan Cooking and Codorníu. Prices for Rachel's supper clubs vary between £30 and £35 depending on the menu offered.

Likes: introduction to an exciting regional Spanish cuisine which is novel to London, flavoursome and hearty dishes, great wine matches.

Dislikes: in my opinion, the elongated café setting made the evening feel more like a pop-up restaurant than a homely, more intimate supper club.

Verdict: Homely and very delicious Catalunyan cooking by Rachel, expertly partnered with a range of Cavas by Codorníu. The evening was a great introduction to a cuisine I would like to learn more about, and the wines (especially the Blanc de Noirs) opened my eyes to a whole new range of exciting Cavas to be enjoyed. Highly recommended.