2019-08-11_The_Week

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10 August 2019 THE WEEK

Food &Drink

LEISURE

The Rhône is famous for its gutsy reds,
says Fiona Beckett in The Guardian.
But the 10% of its output that is white
includes Condrieu and the white
incarnations of Hermitage and
Châteauneuf du Pape. Although
the region’s strength is the sheer
variety of grapes it produces, it’s
areasonable generalisation to say
that Rhône whites, being rich and
full-bodied, are good “for people who like
reds”. Here are four to start with:
LesDauphinsCôtes du RhôneBlanc 2018
(£8; Asda, Tesco) is attractively smooth and
peachy. Perfect witharoast tarragon chicken.

RéserveduBoula sLaudu nCôtes du
Rhôn eVillages2018(£10; M&S) is a
characterful white with the whole gamut of
Rhône grape varieties. Try it with grilled pork.

Côte sduRhôneVillages Sablet Domaine
Sain tGayan 2016(£14.25; Yapp Brothers)
is a“lush, old-vine white” from one of the
Rhône crus–and really good value.

Domainedes CarabiniersLunar Apogé
2017 (£18.50; Davy’s) isabiodynamicwine
that “manages to be both mineralandfloral”.

What the experts recommend

Shibden Mill InnShibden, Halifax, West
Yorkshire (01422-365840)
Shibden Mill Inn, inaquiet valley outside
Halifax, is billed asapub and hotel, but
is “actuallyasort of spa for jaded food
hacks”, says Tim Hayward in the FT.
By thatIdon’t mean you’ll see restaurant
critics wandering about in robes;Imean
that this staggeringly lovely place is an
antidote to the “fatuous, toxic, pretentious
or simply joyless” aspects to the business.
The vibe is friendly, the rooms “gorgeous”
–and in the kitchen all the “lessons of
posh cheffery have been learnt”, but are
“delivered inarobust, happy, unpreten-
tious way”.Apre-dinner snack of cod-skin
crisps and smoked roe crème fraîche is so
moreish it should be made our “national
snack” and offered alongside every pint
sold.Ablack pudding rosti, withaperfect
64-degree egg, is sublime.Aslab of hake
comes on top ofawonderfully buttery
hash of sweet white crabmeat and Jersey
royals. “IfIhave to die of this stuff, so
be it. Bear me away on your snow-white
wings.”Starters from £6; mains from £14.


The Kensington Arms35-37 Stanley
Road, Bristol (0117-944 6444)
WhenIappear asaguest judge on
MasterChef: The Professionals,says Grace
Dent in The Guardian, none of the chefs
ever say: “Today, I’ve cookedaleek and
Jersey royal potato soup, and served it
with fresh sourdough and good salted


butter.” But sometimesIwish they would.
That’swhatIhad as my starter at The
KensingtonArms, an outstanding food
pub in Redland–and it wasabelter of a
dish, the soup “velvety, fragrant and balm-
like”. But then everything about this place
impressed, from the “non-sticky tables”
and “spotless loos” to the warmly
attentive staff and “comfy banquettes that
have not as yet been spattered with gravy”.
Cornish mussels inarich, piquant cider-
and-cream broth were fresh and perfectly
judged. My companion enjoyed thick,
pink-red slices of dry-aged Hereford
beef rump with perfect Yorkshire puds
and roast spuds. My own “nirvana” was

asweet potato and chestnut Wellington:
“soft, sweet, nutty and perfectly
seasoned”. And to finish, we shared a
“memorable” frangipane tart.Irather lost
my heart to “The Kenny”. Don’t all go at
once–but do go.Sunday lunch £22 for
two courses.

GezelligHolborn Hall, 193-197 High
Holborn, London WC1 (020-3004 0004)
This “shiny new Euro-brasserie” in what
was the library alongside Holborn Town
Hall shows great promise, but needs to
bed inabit, says Keith Miller in The Daily
Telegraph. We went ona“pole-axingly
hot” evening and Gezellig (Dutch for
cosily convivial) was only half full:Ithink
it needs to resonateabit “in order to come
to life, likeaviolin that wants to be
played”. The slightly off-the-peg decor–a
“knowingly random assortment of posters
and artwork”–will also look better with
time. The “modern European” food,
though, is already spot on: “deceptively
simple, made with understated skill, on
the hearty side” and generously served. I
especially admired the use of herbs: clean,
sharp sorrel with pot-roasted turnip, a
sweet liver parfait andacouple of halved
duck hearts; pungent lemon verbena
alongside cod with pea shoots. The
puddings were great, too: hazelnut ice
cream with frangelico, and an elderflower
and strawberry millefeuille.Dinner for
two around £150.

Gezellig:a“shiny new Euro-brasserie”


  • Setalarge, deep-sided
    frying or sauté pan over
    amedium-high heat and
    add the olive oil.

  • When the oil simmers,
    reduce the heat to
    medium and add the
    feta cheese and thyme.
    Fry, stirring, until the
    feta is melting.

  • Reduce the heat to
    low and add the eggs
    and turmeric. Fry, stirring and scraping


the eggs off the bottom
of the pan, just until the
eggs are set but still
fairly runny–ifyou like
themalittle firmer, that’s
up to you.


  • Season with pepper to
    taste–there’s probably
    no need for any extra
    salt, thanks to the feta.

  • Serve the eggs with
    the Turkish flatbread,
    and scatter over the parsley and dill.


Recipe of the week

Serves 2-4 2tbsps olive oil 200g feta, crumbled pinch of dried thyme
4large eggs, beaten ½tsp ground turmeric freshly ground black pepper
to serve:4portions of Turkish flatbread 1tbsp roughly chopped parsley
1tbsp roughly chopped dill

This is the Iranian method for scrambled eggs, says John Whaite. Since
enjoying this dish inafabulous pop-up restaurant in Londonafew years
ago,Ihave made it often for breakfast–and sometimes for dinner too.
You can’t really go wrong, as long as you cook everything gently, and
are careful not to overcook the eggs.

Rhône whites

Persian eggs on toast

Taken fromAFlash in the Panby John Whaite, published by Kyle Books at £20.
To buy from The Week Bookshop for £16.99, call 020-3176 3835 or
visit theweek.co.uk/bookshop. For our latest offers, visittheweekwines.com
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