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.

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