Issue1 TasteBound compressed - Flipbook - Page 36
Sandwich culture goes maximalist
The UK is chocka with upmarket sandwiches.
In London, Camberwell's Café Mondo has built
a cult following for its inventive subs. In
Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Sardinian-run
Ad Maiora deals in artfully packed schiacciata
sandwiches – like the Haaland, allegedly the
go-to for Manchester City footballer players.
Leeds joins the ranks with Things in Bread; and
sandwich supremo Max Halley has partnered with
Bodean’s. Smoked pork with celeriac remoulade,
apple chutney, pickles and fries, anyone? Even
supermarkets are in on the act: at Waitrose, sales
of its speciality sarnies are up 40%, year-on-year.
NYC-style pizza makes its move
What Franco Manca started in Brixton 15 years ago
has become the UK default pizza: soft, puffy bases,
San Marzano tomatoes and fior di latte. Now, Romanstyle pizza al taglio is fighting back – as are Detroit
and Chicago's deep-dish pies. But it’s New York’s take
that’s riding high, with firmer, foldable bases and outthere toppings, from pesto spirals to pickled chillies.
Those championing the cause include Tom Kemble’s
Spring Street in Borough (London SE1), Liberty Slice
Co (Lincoln), Gigi’s Pizza Shop (Bristol), Sear’s Pizza
(Glasgow) and Dough Hands (London SE15 and E8).
Plums ripening faster than you can
eat them? Culinary agony aunt
Milli Taylor shares her sweet solutions
for seasonal abundance
STATESIDE
SLICES
The taste index
...
Avocado’s not-so-ripe future
Shoppers were gripped by panic earlier this
year when retailers warned of an impending
avocado shortage. Climate change, they said,
was starting to impact crops and threaten
global supply chains. Add to that rising
sustainability concerns and stretched
household budgets, and it’s little wonder
the avocado’s grip is loosening. The fruit isn’t
disappearing, but the hype is fading fast.
Even chefs are moving on: at Nessa (London
W1) Tom Cenci swaps avo for a vibrant pea,
mint and broad bean smash, in a fresh take
on a once-ubiquitous favourite.
SMASHED
DREAMS
34
SPLITTING
THE G
Cooling do
w
n
Guinness games lose their charm
Visit any pub in Britain that's known for
pouring ‘the black stuff’ and you’re likely
to witness younger drinkers ‘splitting the
G’ – gulping just enough Guinness (now
the UK’s favourite beer) so the liquid line
hits the letter G on the pint glass. Except
publicans are getting bored of the craze.
Oisin Rogers, co-owner of The Devonshire,
is vocally against the idea – and many
in Ireland are looking over at Britain
with sorrow. Why are we so uncool?
TA S T E B O U N D
Never
too
much
of a good
thing
They don’t get the fanfare
of berries or cherries,
but plums are the quiet
hero of the British
orchard. Approaching
high summer, trees groan
under the weight of fruit
that demands urgent
attention. Gone are those
small, unseasonal punnets
of rock-hard ‘ripen at
home’ plums, replaced by quid-a-kilo mounds
– juicy and tart. It’s a fruit that ripens all at
once, begging for batch cooking. If you don’t
get there first, the birds and bugs surely will.
Nothing beats eating them just-ripe over
the sink, juice dribbling down your wrist,
but that won’t make a dent in a glut. First up,
slightly overripe plums are ideal for baking.
Nicola Lamb’s brown sugar and ricotta cake
is a masterclass; the heat intensifies their
flavour and saves squashy ones from the bin.
Her plum and buttermilk steamed sponge
(in Sift) is an elegant riff on nursery food,
though there’s nothing wrong with straight
plums-and-custard or a good old crumble.
Their robust flavour stands up beautifully
to spice: poached with star anise, a cinnamon
stick or a few cardamom pods. Add a little
sugar, bring to a simmer, and cool to make
compote – brilliant with meringue and
cream, rice pudding or layered into an ice
cream sundae (gingernut crumb highly
advised). Any leftovers can be blitzed into
a purée and churned into sorbet.
Or try pickling. Yes, really. Halve firm
plums and steep them in a cooled mix of
150ml red wine vinegar, 4tbsp sugar, a couple
of bay leaves, some peppercorns and perhaps
dried chillies. They’re perfect with other
seasonal flavours like radicchio, goat’s cheese
and toasted walnuts. If at all possible, double
up – you’ll thank yourself come October.
PHOTOS: AD MAIORA; AMY HAYNES; DOUGH HANDS
Hotting up
…
BREAD,
BUTTER &
BRAVADO
