Nick West's Posts - Find a Supper Club2024-03-29T15:54:30ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWesthttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1969439175?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=34mfcmtck77y4&xn_auth=noMiddle Eastern supper clubtag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2013-02-11:4181778:BlogPost:1405522013-02-11T22:03:35.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>We're celebrating the divine diversity of Middle Eastern food this week. We'll be having seven courses including beef meatballs with broad beans & lemon, poached pears in white wine & cardamon.</p>
<p>We've been drawing influences from the foreign students who have been staying with us, who have come form Bahrain and Georgia. We've been reading 'Jerusalem' by Yotam Ottolenghi, amd watched his recent TV series. We're liking the big salads, the grilled meats, the aubergines,…</p>
<p>We're celebrating the divine diversity of Middle Eastern food this week. We'll be having seven courses including beef meatballs with broad beans & lemon, poached pears in white wine & cardamon.</p>
<p>We've been drawing influences from the foreign students who have been staying with us, who have come form Bahrain and Georgia. We've been reading 'Jerusalem' by Yotam Ottolenghi, amd watched his recent TV series. We're liking the big salads, the grilled meats, the aubergines, yoghurt dips and the spicy breads.</p>
<p>With it being close to Valentines day, we're asking anyone who is happilysingle, or any couples who want to try something different but can't get out on Thursday. </p>
<p>Every event we have hosted has always brought a fantastic mix of friendly, interesting guests who love food - just like us!</p>
<p>Message me to book your place this Saturday - 16th February.</p>Supper club busman's holiday!tag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-12-04:4181778:BlogPost:1340542012-12-04T21:46:29.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>YO31 secret diners club, Bon Vivants, and The Tin Duck are having a collective 'Supper club' this weekend. It'll be fab to get together with everyone and share ideas and tips. I'm doing the starter, with pan fried pheasant breast served with my take on blue cheese and walnut salad, with chopped dates (from our Bahrainian student lodger), and a honey and lime dressing.</p>
<p>I'll get some pics and post them next week.</p>
<p>YO31 secret diners club, Bon Vivants, and The Tin Duck are having a collective 'Supper club' this weekend. It'll be fab to get together with everyone and share ideas and tips. I'm doing the starter, with pan fried pheasant breast served with my take on blue cheese and walnut salad, with chopped dates (from our Bahrainian student lodger), and a honey and lime dressing.</p>
<p>I'll get some pics and post them next week.</p>YO31 Yorkshire Tapastag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-10-17:4181778:BlogPost:1280722012-10-17T21:23:01.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>The next YO31 secret diners club meal will be on Saturday 3rd November. So far I'm making mini Yorkshire puddings with Thorganby roast beef, gravy and horseradish. Hoping to find some wild horseradish locally. I'm also doing brushetta (Italian, I know) made with flour from 'Yorkshire Organic Millers', Spaunton, which is north west of Pickering. They do a great range of Soil Association Organic flours. On that will be black pudding, probably from Murton farmers market, some local soft blue…</p>
<p>The next YO31 secret diners club meal will be on Saturday 3rd November. So far I'm making mini Yorkshire puddings with Thorganby roast beef, gravy and horseradish. Hoping to find some wild horseradish locally. I'm also doing brushetta (Italian, I know) made with flour from 'Yorkshire Organic Millers', Spaunton, which is north west of Pickering. They do a great range of Soil Association Organic flours. On that will be black pudding, probably from Murton farmers market, some local soft blue cheese, and a dab of York honey to offset all that saltiness!</p>
<p>I'm also getting some hares from my gamekeeper friend, Richard, who shoots around Howden. I got some beautiful Mallards from him last month, and my traumatic (and wimpish) squeemishness at plucking and chopping is documented in my other blogs. The hare will be the same again, as it will more closely resemble my beloved cats, so I'm going to really have to 'man up' for this one! Wish me luck....</p>
<p>I would like to do hare burgers, as casserole or roast is too obvious, and I've never tried hare minced, and I reckon it's strong flovour should work well cradled in fresh iceberg, red onion rings and some sweet chutney. Mmmmm.</p>The night before the YO31 secret diners club Thai banquettag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-09-28:4181778:BlogPost:1260502012-09-28T22:00:41.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>I'm writing down the recipes for tomorrow, so that they're all in one book - my classic eastern european car book! There's Trabants, Ladas, Moscovitchs, and Fiat 126's on the cover (yes I know Fiat are Italian, but you get the idea). I watched a you tube clip about making carrot flowers, because I wanted to put some in the salad. Basic ones are quite easy. Then I watched one about making proper roses. It took an expert 10 mintues to carve, and required a very high level of skill. Think I'll…</p>
<p>I'm writing down the recipes for tomorrow, so that they're all in one book - my classic eastern european car book! There's Trabants, Ladas, Moscovitchs, and Fiat 126's on the cover (yes I know Fiat are Italian, but you get the idea). I watched a you tube clip about making carrot flowers, because I wanted to put some in the salad. Basic ones are quite easy. Then I watched one about making proper roses. It took an expert 10 mintues to carve, and required a very high level of skill. Think I'll pass on that for now, but the easier ones and the spring onion curls should look nice.</p>
<p>Have decided to just write a couple of lists, recipes and get an early night rather than stressing in the kitchen till 2am. Need to be fresh for tomorrow!</p>
<p>Thai can easily be not very good, and getting the flavour balance of sweet, salty, sour, hot and aromatic (I think thats the combination). As David Thompson, a widely recognized authority on Thai cuisine states:</p>
<p><strong> "Thai food ain't about simplicity. It's about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the dictum here, at all. Some westerners think it's a jumble of flavours, but to a Thai that's important, it's the complexity they delight in."</strong></p>
<p>Its a very specific taste and flavour, though many people are huge fans of the complexities of Thai food, maybe because, like Indian it is a challenge on the taste buds, and the chillis leave a warm and sensuous feeling afterwards.</p>
<p>So, constant tasting is the key, and don't over - salt, because you can't pull back from over salting!</p>
<p>I'll report back on Sunday with pics.</p>
<p>Nick.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>YO31 Secret Diners club - wesite articletag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-09-26:4181778:BlogPost:1257962012-09-26T18:23:29.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>Our Thai banquet is coming up pretty soon, and a few people have shown an interest. I need to convert this to bookings, though. In my quest to raise the profile, I have been approached by someone wanting me to write an article for a York out and about website. This is quite exciting for me, being a wannabe hack/scribe. Also, if anyone else who reads this has any bright ideas about reaching out to a wider audience, please give me some tips. Although the concept of the supper club is that it…</p>
<p>Our Thai banquet is coming up pretty soon, and a few people have shown an interest. I need to convert this to bookings, though. In my quest to raise the profile, I have been approached by someone wanting me to write an article for a York out and about website. This is quite exciting for me, being a wannabe hack/scribe. Also, if anyone else who reads this has any bright ideas about reaching out to a wider audience, please give me some tips. Although the concept of the supper club is that it is an underground movement, I don't want it so underground so that nobody knows about it!!!</p>
<p>upper clubs have existed for a few years in this country, although have really started taking off over the last three years. I think the idea was bourne out of a number of reasons: the desire for the hosts to show off their culinary skills; wanting to bring like minded people together to appreciate great home cooked food; to go somewhere to eat that is a bit different, won't charge the earth, and meet new and interesting people; and above all, supper club hosts and guests (the two are not exclusive either) like an adventure! We are a sociable bunch.</p>
<div>The publishing of Kerstin Rogers' (aka Ms Marmite) seminal 'Supper Club' book (Harper Collins) in 2011 set out to explain the movement she became involved in from 2005, provide recipes and tips for hosting the perfect supper club. She also runs a vibrant and essential blog site, which hosts hundreds of clubs from around the world. It is the place to find out where your nearest supper club is being held.</div>
<div>The general idea is to provide top quality food in a friendly atmosphere, at home. Events are advertised online, by email, text or word of mouth, and usually attract an eclectic and loyal following. The specific location is usually revealed to the guests to message a number or personal email. This makes it fairly secure.</div>
<div>Diners like the intimacy, the ability to try something new, and the relaxed vibe. Because it is a 'grass roots' enterprise, guests usually bring their own drinks, and make a contribution to the costs of running it.</div>
<div>The supper club site provides some excellent legal advice for hosts (link below), as it is a developing phenomenom.</div>
<div>The YO31 Secret Diners club is based in York, and was started because my wife, Liz and I have been longing to launch a catering business, but like many others lack the capital to start up. So the easiest solution was to start small and at home, get the experience and build it from there.</div>
<div>Our supper club events are always themed, and so far we have done Italian, Indian, Spanish and Thai. We are planning on hosting a Haloween night, German, Yorkshire, Chinese, French, foraged feast, and many other events to celebrate various events.</div>
<div>The food is always cooked from scratch, using organic vegatables (from our veg box and garden), and top quality meat sourced from local butchers.</div>
<div>We also ask our guests if they would like us to create a favourite dish of theirs, which gives it a bit more of a personal touch. They can also bring their own CDs if they wish!</div>
<div>I do most of the cooking, while Liz makes desserts and hosts. We do all the prep and cooking in our tiny kitchen, so it can get a bit fraught at times! But the satisfaction at the end of the evening is quite euphoric, even if our kitchen has been trashed and we have piles of washing up to do! We like to cook classic and familiar dishes, sometimes experimenting with the format, such as deconstructed chicken tikka masala - chicken tikka pieces, tikka mousse with a masala dressing, or braised chrorizo in a sweet sherry sauce with beetroot jelly. My influences range from Keith Floyd, Ken Hom, Rick Stein, Giorgio Locatelli and Ferran Adria (El Bulli) to name but a few.</div>
<div>I am currently experimenting with molecular gastronomy, so expect to see some melon caviar and dry ice in future!</div>
<div>Previous menus are attached to this message.</div>
<div>We love foraging, and make blackberry vodka and sloe gin from locally foraged fruit, but this is just the beginning of the foraging. </div>
<div id="yiv1769100888id_506331055afc43172093893" class="yiv1769100888text_exposed_root yiv1769100888text_exposed"></div>
<div class="yiv1769100888text_exposed_root yiv1769100888text_exposed">Our next meal is a Thai banquet, which is on Saturday 29th September.</div>
<div class="yiv1769100888text_exposed_root yiv1769100888text_exposed">We'll be serving a range of our favourite classic Thai dishes, such as Clam ginger soup, steamed wonton bundles, sweecorn fritters, Crispy fried barley fed wild mallard (plucked, jointed, skinned and prepared by me) with tamarind noodles, Beef panaeng curry, coconut custard squares, and thai coctail sling.</div>
<div class="yiv1769100888text_exposed_root yiv1769100888text_exposed">Our ultimate aim is to cook memorable food for our wonderful guests and to create a brand that becomes a 'must visit' experience in York. We would also like to take our club to outside locations or to other people's venues, although there are many permutations to the format.</div>
<div class="yiv1769100888text_exposed_root yiv1769100888text_exposed">Message me to book your table!</div>Post match analysis - YO31 Spanish Tapastag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-09-02:4181778:BlogPost:1223372012-09-02T22:28:46.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>Our Tapas night went down a storm with the guests, and we have learnt a lot more this time, such as limiting the number of courses (ten is probably a little too much and stressful), and to make sure everything is tried and tested, and will work on the night. I had to substitute one course because I didn't have the required chemicals for the 'spherification' process, as pioneered by Ferran Adria of El Bulli.</p>
<p>I'll have it sorted for next time though. I have got the calcium chloride,…</p>
<p>Our Tapas night went down a storm with the guests, and we have learnt a lot more this time, such as limiting the number of courses (ten is probably a little too much and stressful), and to make sure everything is tried and tested, and will work on the night. I had to substitute one course because I didn't have the required chemicals for the 'spherification' process, as pioneered by Ferran Adria of El Bulli.</p>
<p>I'll have it sorted for next time though. I have got the calcium chloride, which came on Saturday morning, but my experiment flopped when I realised that the melon juice also needs sodium alginate to react with the calcium, and thus create the 'caviar'.</p>
<p>We also discovered (well, we knew anyway) that supper club guests are the nicest people you could ever meet. They puit their trust in your abilities as a chef, and are quite happy to share a table with strangers. We see it as making new friends every time we host our events.</p>
<p>I loved creating all the food, and Liz was a star as usual. She also made a savoury course - beef in white wine, which was fab!</p>
<p>The beetroot jelly was ace, but lesson learnt was to not take it out of the fridge too soon!</p>
<p>Pics to follow.</p>
<p>Next one will be Thai. Date will be announced very soon. Message me if you want to attend.</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p> </p>Spanish Tapas prep!tag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-08-28:4181778:BlogPost:1217892012-08-28T19:56:32.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>Just a few days left until the sumptuous Spanish Tapas this Saturday at the YO31 Secret Diners Club. <br></br>Nine courses of culinary heaven and my take on classic Spanish cuisine.</p>
<p>Making copius lists now: Menu, shopping list, order of prep... I need to get some sodium citrate, sodium alginate and calcium chloride for the 'spherication' of the melon balls. They're going to be suspended in a jambon consumme.</p>
<p>I've had a go at the beetroot jelly and it worked a treat! Tasted great…</p>
<p>Just a few days left until the sumptuous Spanish Tapas this Saturday at the YO31 Secret Diners Club. <br/>Nine courses of culinary heaven and my take on classic Spanish cuisine.</p>
<p>Making copius lists now: Menu, shopping list, order of prep... I need to get some sodium citrate, sodium alginate and calcium chloride for the 'spherication' of the melon balls. They're going to be suspended in a jambon consumme.</p>
<p>I've had a go at the beetroot jelly and it worked a treat! Tasted great too. It doesn't want to be too over-powering, as the chorizo and the sweet sherry dressing will carry all the flavour. I've had a version of braised chorizo in a sweet sauce at 'Ambiente Tapas Restaurant' in York, and it's awesome. You've got to try it. If I get anywhere near that I'll be pleased.</p>
<p>The squid, I'm looking forward to. It's such a simple dish, but the quality ingredients really shine here. It must be bought mega fresh, so I'll be off down to York market on Saturday morning. Hope they're got some. I think I'll go and see them tomorrow and pre order.</p>
<p>Don't miss out and message me to book your place!</p>YO31 Secret Diners Sumptuous Spanish Tapastag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-08-27:4181778:BlogPost:1216192012-08-27T19:57:20.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p><span class="userContent">It's about this time I reveal a teaser of what you'll be having (or missing out on) at the YO31 Secret Diners club Spanish Tapas on Saturday 1st September.<br/> Amongst the courses served will be:<br/> Crisp deep fried squid with aioli<br/> Braised chorizo with sweet sherry dressing and beetroot jelly.<br/> Melon con jamon (an El Bulli recipe!)<br/> More to follow later in the week.<br/> Message me to book!</span></p>
<p><span class="userContent">It's about this time I reveal a teaser of what you'll be having (or missing out on) at the YO31 Secret Diners club Spanish Tapas on Saturday 1st September.<br/> Amongst the courses served will be:<br/> Crisp deep fried squid with aioli<br/> Braised chorizo with sweet sherry dressing and beetroot jelly.<br/> Melon con jamon (an El Bulli recipe!)<br/> More to follow later in the week.<br/> Message me to book!</span></p>Spanish Tapas ideas!tag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-08-23:4181778:BlogPost:1211822012-08-23T21:00:00.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>The next Secret Diners Club is on Saturday September 1st. The ideas for the Tapas are coming thick and fast. Just need a few more guests to sign up. I've been reading a lot from my (Liz's Xmas present) 'A day at El Bulli'. It's about the once greatest restaurant in the world and it's genius head chef - Ferran Adria. I have never been there, but was shocked to discover that I must have been in the area at some point in the past during a holiday to Costa Brava. El Bulli is situated at Roses,…</p>
<p>The next Secret Diners Club is on Saturday September 1st. The ideas for the Tapas are coming thick and fast. Just need a few more guests to sign up. I've been reading a lot from my (Liz's Xmas present) 'A day at El Bulli'. It's about the once greatest restaurant in the world and it's genius head chef - Ferran Adria. I have never been there, but was shocked to discover that I must have been in the area at some point in the past during a holiday to Costa Brava. El Bulli is situated at Roses, the North of the region, near Girona, right on the coast. The restaurant is all but closed now, and has been undergoing a programme of transformation into teh 'El Bulli Foundation'. The idea is great, but reading the copious amounts of text on the website, it's all a bit perplexing about what they are trying to do. <a href="http://www.elbulli.com/home.php?lang=en" rel="nofollow">http://www.elbulli.com/home.php?lang=en</a><br/> They go on a lot about particle sculpting and the like. See what you think and let me know if you can make any sense of it!<br/> Adrià's stated goal is to "provide unexpected contrasts of flavour, temperature and texture.' In fact, in the book he also talks about 'sight and smell', as well. All important facets of the dining experience.<br/> He has described his cooking as 'deconstructivism', which I quite like the sound of, as it inferrs a return to the basic elements of the ingredients and a re think of the dishes we know so well. I'm sort of trying to introduce this, but I haven't got the liquid nitrogen or the agar solution, and his style has been described as 'pretentious', but in my view, cooking is like all of the creative arts: Without pioneers, the art becomes stagnent - it no longer moves forward. <br/> Think of it another way: For good or bad, where would we be without processes such as freeze drying; canning; preservatives; microwaves; oxygen free packaging; ultralow blanching - etc etc - all of which has enabled us to enjoy food that lasts for longer, and can be produced at a lower cost. There are many benefits of the scientific advancements that have been made, or 'messing with our food', but also many negative effects. I won't go into it all here because <br/> a) I am not qualified enough and <br/> b) Its supposed to be about my next secret diners club, not a personal rant about the food industry and it's wicked, evil ways to manipulate the food chain for it's own gains!<br/> Anyway, the aim of the supper club is to deliver fantastic food, first and foremost, then to gradually challenge perceptions and encourage people to try new things, or old things but done in a new way. <br/> I've also been reading up on a few Spanish and Tapas cook books - Rick Stein being one of my other favourites. The recipes in ElBulli are quite technical and very confusing. I'll probably adapt one of them, that doesn't require much specialist kit!<br/> I have some favourites too: Patatas Bravas is often cooked for breakfast with a poached egg on top in our house, as is Huevos Rancheros (ranch-style eggs-more Mexican, really but great hangover food).<br/> There is one dish that still eludes us. Liz, Ellie and I holidayed in Malaga many years ago, and one evening while drinking in a bar, we got chatting to an older couple. They invited us back to their nearby apartment for some typical Malagan cooking. (No. I know what you're thinking!) We were very drunk, and all I remember is there being lots of baked garlic. I think there was chicken involved too. If anyone more has any idea what this could be, please let me have the recipe!<br/> Thanks for reading - if you got this far!</p>Espana Tapas!tag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-08-08:4181778:BlogPost:1201652012-08-08T11:00:00.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>Can't wait to start on our latest supper club - Spanish Tapas. It rates up there in my top 3 favourite cuisines of all time. I'll never forget the time Liz and I were holidaying in Malaga, about 19 years ago, when we ended up drinking with an old Malagan couple, and they invited us back to their apartment for food. I still don't know exactly what it was, but it was mostly garlic, and delicious!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Can't wait to start on our latest supper club - Spanish Tapas. It rates up there in my top 3 favourite cuisines of all time. I'll never forget the time Liz and I were holidaying in Malaga, about 19 years ago, when we ended up drinking with an old Malagan couple, and they invited us back to their apartment for food. I still don't know exactly what it was, but it was mostly garlic, and delicious!</p>
<p> </p>Getting ready for our Indian banquet!tag:supperclubfangroup.ning.com,2012-07-23:4181778:BlogPost:1190442012-07-23T22:00:00.000ZNick Westhttp://supperclubfangroup.ning.com/profile/NickWest
<p>It's just over 4 days till our second supper club - our first was an Italian feast in May and was a great success (we believe - the 3 guests certainly seemed to enjoy it: they're coming back).</p>
<p>We have 6 bookings this time, including 2 ladies who we don't know, which is really exciting, as they must have tracked us down on the website - thanks Ms Marmite - and found us on facebook, where we advertise. We also have two old friends who are new to the experience, and two from our previous…</p>
<p>It's just over 4 days till our second supper club - our first was an Italian feast in May and was a great success (we believe - the 3 guests certainly seemed to enjoy it: they're coming back).</p>
<p>We have 6 bookings this time, including 2 ladies who we don't know, which is really exciting, as they must have tracked us down on the website - thanks Ms Marmite - and found us on facebook, where we advertise. We also have two old friends who are new to the experience, and two from our previous dinner in May. </p>
<p>I've set myself quite a task with our supper clubs, in that we are doing taster courses, which means very small portions, but loads of courses. Our Indian baquet has 10, which includes the 2 desserts my wife is doing. She always handles the sweet stuff, while I slave over a hot stove.</p>
<p>In order to be more organized, I've typed out a schedule of things to do on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so I don't panic too much. I can then stick it on the kitchen cupboard and cross it off as I do it.</p>
<p>With curries, a decent base sauce can be used for some of the dishes, about 3 in this case, so I can make that ahead. Most of the dishes are quite straight forward, although I'm trying new stuff out too, which I have practiced before hand. I'm happy with the deconstructed Chicken with Tikka mousse and masala dressing, but my newest creation, the 'Spectrum of Heat' concerns me a little, as I'm aiming to make a small line of chicken curry on a slate, which at one end is a korma, and gradually gets hotter as you work along it to the phal end. I made it the other night and added too many chillies, including a nice fresh scotch bonnet, and it ruined it. It was way too hot, so I'll have to think of another way of creating an increasing line of heat. I'll have a parallel line of chilli jam, and maybe one of yoghurt raita, but I will stress on the menu that the objective is to work along the line to a point you are happy with. You don't have to finish it!</p>
<p>I could maybe add increasing levels of chilli powder along a korma base, as I originally had 2 curries: a hot one at one end and the korma at the other, and tried to blend them progressively. I think it's a great idea, and I'll let you know when I perfect it.</p>
<p>I'm going to do a tarka dahl too, but there are hundreds of versions, and I've had many differing types. The best way I have found is to stew the lentils in onion and stock slowly for about an hour, then make up the tarka mix, fry it off quickly and add it just before serving. You want a nice caramelized onion garlic sizzle as you take it to the table. </p>