From Monday 19th April to Monday 26th April, celebrate St George at The National Dining Rooms with a menu hearty enough for dragon slaying and maiden rescuing!

Champion of British produce, Oliver Peyton, has enlisted the help of The National Dining Rooms’ Executive Chef Simon Duff, to create an exclusive menu in honour of England’s patron saint, St George. Duff has worked hard to source only the finest locally grown ingredients on offer by personally visiting top small specialist producers in the furthest corners of England.

Bursting with seasonal flavours and local highlights the menu offers diners a real gastronomic treat. Look forward to updated old English classics such as potted rabbit with wild garlic and rosemary bread and Beef Wellington with Lincolnshire Poacher potato gratin, made using ingredients from top local suppliers.

Starters
Grilled asparagus with chilled sorrel cream and hazelnuts
Spiced red mullet soup with orange and saffron
Potted rabbit with wild garlic and rosemary bread

Mains
John Dory with marsh samphire, baby radish and purple sprouting broccoli
New season lamb with harissa and flamed wild nettles
Beef Wellington with Lincolnshire Poacher potato gratin

Dessert
Pistachio and clover honey filo tart with rose water syrup
Rhubarb fool and butter biscuits
British cheese board

At £26.50 for two courses and £29.50 for three, what could be better than marking this patriotic occasion with a slap-up meal of the best of British?

Opening hours:
Open daily, 10am until 5.30pm excluding Wednesday, 10am – 8.30pm.

The National Dining Rooms, The Sainsbury Wing, The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
T: 020 7747 2525 www.thenationaldiningrooms.co.uk

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The April issue of BBC Good Food magazine sees the launch of the ‘We love to cook’ series; a cut-out-and-keep guide created to encourage youngsters to start cooking. The first instalment is an Easter themed egg-stravaganza, featuring three egg-tastic recipes; baked dippy eggs, easy cheese frittata and iced fairy cakes.

The specially designed series features fun, and easy to make recipes to get kids cooking. Every recipe was cooked by children shown in the guide, and tested in the BBC Good Food kitchen, with the aim of getting kids to make their very own ‘We love to cook’ recipe book.

Each guide will feature a different main ingredient and contain simple step by step instructions; complete with photos and bolded sections flagging up when grown-up help is needed with all the recipes carrying an age rating, allowing both youngsters and adults to select a suitable recipe with ease, with recipes aimed at 3-6 year olds, 5-9 year olds and 8-14 year olds.

According to Lulu Grimes, food director at BBC Good Food magazine: “The Easter holidays can be a long holiday to fill for restless children, and what better or more constructive activity than to get kids into the kitchen and learning what could turn into a fantastic skill for life? We promise our triple-tested recipes are fun, easy to make and really work.”

The April issue of BBC Good Food magazine is on sale now, priced at £3.40. Next month our junior cooks will be cooking with chicken.

Exclusively available at Waitrose this Easter, Cathedral City Vintage 60 has been carefully matured to perfection for five years, or 60 months, placing it amongst the oldest Cheddars produced in the UK.

Mark Pitts-Tucker, the Cathedral City cheese specialist is behind this first-of-its-kind Cheddar worked to achieve an irresistible, full bodied, rich and luxurious, creamy taste which is sure to appeal to Britain’s cheese lovers looking for a new and exciting taste experience. Mark carefully crafted this Cheddar step by step to take it to its perfect result.

Mark Pitts-Tucker comments, “This cheese has been slowly maturing for five years to the point of unique excellence. The texture is very firm, almost crumbly and crunchy. The flavour is very intense with an almost ‘dark chocolate’ element which gradually surrenders to the creaminess of the Cheddar’.

The high quality craftsmanship that has gone into the making of this Cheddar has been recognised by Waitrose and will join the other high quality cheeses that feature in its deli counters. The introduction of Vintage 60 will also launch Waitrose’s new ‘Guest Cheese’ promotion where a speciality cheese is introduced to its counters for a limited time.

Just in time for Easter the launch of this rare Cheddar makes an ideal alternative for those seeking a gourmet treat to satisfy their savoury taste buds. The rich flavours of Vintage 60 make it a ‘must have’ on any cheese connoisseur’s cheeseboard. Mark recommends pairing it with Baron de Ley, Club Privado 2006 Rioja, ‘the creaminess of the Cheddar truly brings to life the very juicy style of the wine, working to create a truly delicious and rare taste experience.’

Vintage 60 was produced by the award winning Davidstow Creamery in Cornwall and was debuted last summer at the International Cheese Awards where food experts praised its fine flavour and strong quality. To be one of the lucky few to experience this one-of-a-kind taste sensation, visit the deli counter at Waitrose stores around the country from March 30th. With only limited availability this really is a very unique cheese, so once it’s gone, it’s gone.

If Cathedral City Vintage 60 tickled your taste buds, then Cathedral City Vintage 20, a mature Cheddar that has been matured for 20 months using exactly the same recipe as Vintage 60, will also be a perfect addition to grace your cheeseboard and add an extra bit of luxury to your plate.

Mark Pitts-Tucker accompaniments recommendations:
‘I see the cheese being served on a Cornish slate cheeseboard liberally accompanied by Delicias Dona Natalia Pure Quince (£2.29 from Waitrose), simple dry biscuits, such as Waitrose’s Biscuits for Cheese (£1.38) and an over-filled glass of red Rioja that has been partly spilt in the hurry to reach for the cheese! I recommend Waitrose’s Baron de Ley, Club Privado 2006 Rioja (£7.99)’.

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The food porn showcase – Does My Blog Look Good In This - has had the hosting baton passed on to The Well-Seasoned Cook for this month.

Each month food blog owners select one of their images as being the very best they can produce in the realm of food imaging (foodporn in short). A team of judges then rates each picture on the grounds of originality, edibility and aesthetics.

Fourty Three entries so far; showing original pictures that appeared on blogs during February. Over 100 entries is the ‘norm’ for DMBLGIT.

A SmugMug album has been created for your viewing pleasure. Our current favourites are the Brenebone Soup from Our Family Recipes in Indonesia and White and Wild Rice with Pomegranate from the Sweet Corner blog from The Netherlands.

The image here is the current winner - Kris Ngoei of Bake in Paris with Grateful. Full details of DMBLGIT are available on SpittoonExtra.
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Tom and Ed Martin are launching a series of monthly wine dinners at their highly acclaimed modern British pubs, The White Swan on Fetter Lane (EC4), The Prince Arthur in London Fields and The Empress of Indiain Victoria Park Village.

Hosted by the groups sommelier, Paulo Brammer, guests will indulge in five delicious courses, individually paired with some of the worlds top wines to complement the flavours. An ideal evening for amateurs and aficionados who want to increase their understanding of wine,Brammer will share his knowledge on how to swirl and nose like an expert and reveal fascinating facts on how food affects the flavour of wine as guests dine.

Food And Wine Matching At The White Swan
Taking place on the last Friday of every month at 7.30pm, with the next events on the 26th March, 23rd April and the 21st May,wine enthusiasts can look forward to a fun and interactive evening learning about wine. Dishes on the carefully crafted menu might include poached plaice with Jerusalem artichokes and black truffle matched with a floral and feminine Marsanna from the Rhone valley and sweet and caramelised braised Jacobs Ladder (rib of beef) with bone marrow and kale.

At just £42.00 a ticket and only 40 tickets available, booking is essential. To make a reservation and enjoy an evening to remember, please call Nadia on020 7242 9122 or email [email protected]

Indulge In A Right Royal Feast At The Prince Arthur
A true local in every sense, The Prince Arthur is the ideal spot for an intimate evening of food and wine matching. Taking place once a month from 7.30pm, with the next dates confirmed on the 24thMarch, 28thApril and 26thMay,guests will be treated to a delectable five-course menu made using fresh, seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients. Look forward to dishes such as organic Irish salmon en croute with carrots and Matelote jus and rabbit leg, saddle, liver, kidney and leek terrine with shallot pur饬 each carefully matched with new and old world wines.
With tasting notes provided as guests dine, these events are perfect for brushing up on dinner party skills. To make a reservation call Jessica on 020 7242 9122 or email [email protected]. Tickets are just £38.00 a person.

Enjoy A Jewel Of An Evening At The Empress of India
On the14th April, 5th May and 2nd June,foodies and wine lovers alike will be treated to an evening of food and wine matching at Tom and Eds majestic pub, The Empress of India. Dishes on the menu showcase the best British ingredients and include caramelised Ayreshire bacon, roast langoustine and cauliflower pur饠and a shellfish jus and best end of Herdwick lamb with thyme fondant potato, tomato fondue, spinach, onion puree with a mint jus, all perfectly matched with different vintages. With Paulo on hand to offer advice on how to choose wine in a restaurant, novices will be transformed into fully-fledged wine connoisseurs.
At just £38.00 a person, wine lovers had better act quickly to reserve their seat. To make a reservation call Jessica on 020 7242 9122 or email [email protected].

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