A foodie revolution is blowing through the Barbican Centre. Two dramatic new dining spaces will open in September completely upgrading the in-house eating experience for performance goers, residents and anyone in or around the City.

The Barbican Foodhall will offer an amazing selection of foods to buy or consume at the counter-top bars and the deli-tables. Guests can buy anything from an Italian ham and parmesan sandwich to shrimp pad thai with grilled coconut relish. Upstairs the Barbican Lounge will feature small plate menus based on dairy, meat, fish, fowl, vegetarian or pudding as well as gourmet bar snacks such as steamed endamame or pepperabica peppers stuffed with feta and Greek country cheeses.

General Manager Nikki Woods (ex-Maze), describes the venture as: “A haven for foodies. The concept is to create a destination for people who have a genuine love of food. Our menu is filled with moreish small plates, so guests no longer have to suffer food envy or make any difficult decisions. You can try a little bit of everything…and then just order a little bit more if you fancy!”

“We’re really excited about the transformation of our food offering” commented MD of Barbican Centre, Sir Nicholas Kenyon. “The spaces are being stripped right back to the original wall textures and fittings, so it really feels like a natural and organic development of our iconic centre. We’re confident regular visitors to the centre will enjoy the new experience and that this transformation will also help to introduce new people to the area.”

The gastronomic experience will be located on the lively waterside and begins on Level G with the Barbican Foodhall.

Barbican Foodhall
Eat your way around the world in a spectacular street food market (open seven days a week) overflowing with stimulating and surprising ingredients, deli-tables, counter-top service, a restaurant and book bank!

Walk in past floor to ceiling displays of the finest produce – including succulent and juicy olives courtesy of Olives Et Al, organic oils from the world’s premiere producers, award winning cheeses, chutneys, relishes and pastas, plus smoked salmon from one of the most prestigious producers in the UK, Severn & Wye Smokery and luxury confectionery from ‘best of British’ sweetie inventors, Hope & Green.

Be tempted by an intriguing choice of food stalls selling Cornish pasties with Branston pickle, marjoram infused mackerel, fennel, glazed damsons and goats cheese pie and New Orleans shrimp étouffée, all of which visitors can buy to eat in or to take away.

The restaurant – which seats 200 – is an ideal place to meet friends in an informal, buzzing atmosphere where resident chefs will conjure up a different menu every day, depending on what makes their taste buds tingle that morning! Prices start from £7 for a main course.

If a good cuppa, spiced apple crumble slice and a flick through the latest novel is more your scene, then pop by the Book Bank to buy, borrow or bring back books.

For those wanting something a little more formal, head upstairs to the Barbican Lounge.

Barbican Lounge
Some of the world’s finest designers have combined to create a funky but comfortable 230-cover space described by Director of Operations Nick Rudlin as having a, “Prisoner meets Mad Men feel. Think mid-century Scandinavian furniture overlooked by unique light installations by Beirut designers PSLab encapsulated within the stripped fossilised concrete walls of the Barbican”.

Both bar and restaurant walk out onto a stylish terrace area featuring seating pods interspersed with seasonal plants designed by three time RHS Chelsea Flower Show winner, Kate Gould. The terrace stretches along the Barbican lakeside, providing wonderful views of the complex itself and beyond to London old and new. The mouthwatering feast continues with small plate dishes from pork pie and Garlic Farm relish and Lochmuir salmon, to Merguez sausages with saffron aioli and pissaladière with anchovies and olives.

For those wanting a quick feast the Barbican Lounge will be offering a Dine & Dash menu where they guarantee you’ll be out of the door in 50 minutes, or your money back.

Diners who have a little longer to spare could spend some quality time at the Barbican Lounge bar which will feature London’s first Macaroon Mixologist, where the legendary French delicacies are twinned with a range of new and traditional cocktails.

The Barbican Food Hall and Barbican Lounge will open their doors on 14 September.

Fortnum & Mason is delighted to announce that for the first time in its 303 year history, it will be taking a taste of its exquisite dining 180 miles from its home at 181 Piccadilly London, to the prestigious RHS Show Tatton Park from 21st to 25th July 2010.

The sister to the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the RHS Show Tatton Park, is a high summer event that takes place in the stunning Cheshire countryside. The show has become renowned for its horticultural talent, vibrant floral displays and wonderful atmosphere.

Fortnum & Mason will host three restaurants: The Brasserie, The Tatton Club and The Parlour. Only the best fresh British seasonal produce of its kind, mostly from small artisan producers who lavish love and care on everything they make, is available at Fortnum’s; the menus at the RHS Show Tatton Park – created by Michelin-starred Development Chef Shaun Hill – will be no exception.

The Brasserie
The Fortnum & Mason Brasserie offers lunch and afternoon tea throughout the Show. All dishes feature the pick of the season’s crop, and make full use of wonderful regional produce. The Brasserie lunch menu features many ingredients from regional producers such as local lamb, Goosnargh chicken, Bury black pudding, Singleton’s Lancashire cheese, Cheshire Cheese and numerous locally grown fresh vegetables and fruits. A bottle of English sparkling wine from Camel Valley makes the perfect accompaniment to lunch in Tatton’s stunning deer park setting.

A more leisurely traditional full afternoon tea is available in the Brasserie of finger sandwiches, rolls, scones, Fortnum’s preserves, biscuits, tea cakes and a selection of Fortnum’s Classic Blend Tea.

The Tatton Club: A Home from Home at the RHS Show Tatton Park
Will offer an All Day Hospitality Package during the RHS Show Tatton Park. Whether entertaining the family with an extra special day out, or treating those all-important clients, The Tatton Club will be your oasis throughout the day, and is the perfect place to relax between forays among the flowers. Guests will be able to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, with an exclusive presentation by an Horticultural Expert. The Club is the place to refresh with a full three course lunch, champagne afternoon tea and a free bar. All the dishes on the menu feature the pick of the season’s crop, and make full use of the wonderful regional produce.

The Parlour
The Parlour, a mirror of the Piccadilly restaurant of the same name will be serving Viennoiserie partnered with superior espresso-based coffees and what may just be the Ultimate Hot Chocolate from one of the world’s most revered chocolatiers. Open sandwiches and perhaps a glass of wine make The Parlour the ideal place to while away the afternoon.

No summer celebration is complete without a little something from Fortnum’s, and so we will bringing incredible edibles, terrific teas and luscious lunches to the RHS Show Tatton Park.

The Brasserie
Lunch menus from £32 for two courses, £36 for three courses.
Afternoon tea from £24
Sparkling wine starts at £3.50

For reservations please call 0845 602 5699, or visit http://www.fortnumandmason.com/rhstattonshow.

The RHS Show Tatton Park takes place between 21 and 25 July 2010. To find out more or to purchase tickets please visit www.rhs.org.uk/tattonpark

World Cup fans can enjoy a cool and creamy alternative to the traditional beer tipple this summer thanks to local ice cream maker Yummy Yorkshire.

The ice cream company based near Denby Dale has jumped on the World Cup fever bandwagon and created a one-off beer flavoured ice cream to celebrate the tournament.

The ‘World Cup Beer’ ice cream has been made using a Farmers beer of the same name produced by Peak District based Bradfield Brewery. The beer is light pale and hoppy with a kick of fruit to give it a refreshing aftertaste, which combines perfectly with milk and cream according to Yummy Yorkshire. The resulting ice cream has a bittersweet flavour with a ‘subtle’ hoppy aftertaste of the World Cup Beer.
Although the ice cream is made using 4.2% beer, the cooking process means it contains hardly any alcohol.

The flavour has gone on sale at Yummy Yorkshire’s Denby Dale ice cream parlour and is available to buy exclusively on the cone.

Co-owner of Yummy Yorkshire Louise Holmes says: “We knew we wanted to create a distinctive flavour for the World Cup but didn’t want to go down the obvious route of country-related flavours. Beer goes hand in hand with watching football so we felt it was a great, sweet alternative to the traditional tipple.

Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream is known for its innovative flavours, recently winning a string of awards for its Lou’s Liquorice flavour. Since the business was launched in April 2007, over 50 different recipes of traditional, seasonal and contemporary ice cream have been developed using the best, locally sourced ingredients and milk and cream from the farm’s own herd of Holstein cows.

The Yummy Yorkshire ice cream parlour is located on the A629 between High Flatts and Ingbirchworth. For further information and directions visit www.yorkshiremilk.co.uk.

It goes without saying that when we’re out for dinner most of us spend a considerable amount of time pouring over the wine list.

Some of us have become so wine obsessed that it even takes precedence over the food menu when we’re at a restaurant (that’ll be me then…).

But even if you know your claret from your Beaujolais and your wine knowledge is the envy of all your friends, you still may not be getting the most out of your bottle, and surprisingly it could all be down to what you are drinking alongside your wine.

How many times have you carefully picked out water when out for dinner? None? Well you wouldn’t be alone. But the practice of ‘water and wine harmonisation’ is growing around the world, with even one of the world’s top sommeliers Andreas Larsson now advising wine lovers on the best water and wine matches to bring out the flavour of your food.

And just as picking the perfect wine can make or break a dish, Andreas believes sipping the right water can enhance even further the food we are eating.

Andreas, who was crowned ‘Best Sommelier of the World’ in 2007, will be conducting water and wine harmonisation sessions on behalf of S. Pellegrino at the Taste of London Festival, which takes place in Regents Park from 17th to the 20th of June.

Now in its seventh year, Taste of London brings together the capital’s finest chefs and restaurants with an extraordinary range of quality food and drink from Britain and around the world.

In the following video (click the link to run directly in the browser) Andreas runs through some of his top tips for making sure you’re getting the most out of your wine by selecting the perfect water accompaniment.

http://www.linkto.tv/iframe/show/uuid/3ZD1pUJi8cI

Today see the start of the Honey Association’s ‘National Honey Week’ (3rd – 9th May) and in honour of this sweet celebration, The Restaurant at St Paul’s has put together a three-course Honey Menu.

Using honey from urban hives owned by The Restaurant at St Paul’s in Regent’s Park, head chef Candice Webber offers diners the chance to mix and match her honey dishes with the restaurant’s a la carte menu, or choose to indulge in all three and have a truly sticky feast.

Starter
Goat’s cheese tortellini with soft herb salad, roast walnuts & buttered honey

Main
Honey glazed ham hock, grain mustard mash & spring greens

Pudding
Regent’s park honey ice & ginger bread sandwich

Side
Honey glazed carrots

Coffee with homemade honeycomb

The Restaurant at St Paul’s Honey Menu is available from 3rd – 9th May and is just £20 for two courses and £24 for three.

The Restaurant at St Paul’s Regent’s Park honey can also be bought to take home starting at just £2 for a small jar.

The Restaurant at St Paul’s
St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
020 7248 2469
www.restaurantatstpauls.co.uk

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