Archive for July, 2009

SO LONG FAREWELL

Monday, July 27th, 2009

It’s a sad time at Wild Card as our lovely Natalie is leaving the company this week for the sunny shores of San Fran (not before a pit stop in Hawaii, lucky cow). Obviously, to mark this monumental shift in the office we all must be eased into it, and so the first of a few ‘leaving lunches’ took place today.

Having read about St Clements Café & Bar in the Metro this week it was firmly on my ‘to go’ list and this seemed like a suitable excuse.

A simple menu that we were told changed daily. I opted for one of the daily specials – a grilled lamb burger in flatbread with hummus, tzatsiki and summer salad leaves, followed by a nectarine frangipane tart with vanilla crème fraiche. The grilled lamb burger was aromatic and without any overpowering spice, the tzatsiki and hummus provided the perfect contrast in textures and I am not embarrassed to admit I rolled that bad boy up fajita style and tucked in. The nectarine frangipane tart was feather light and the tangy sweet vanilla crème fraiche felt indulgent next to it.

St Clements is crammed with character from the eclectic mix of china plates and bowls to the mismatched antique chairs and tables. A thoroughly charming venue, painted in Farrow & Ball Pigeon with all the little quirks one might usually expect from an old-made-new home in the country. Quiet and serene, the perfect lunch time escape. I’ll be back with a good book soon.

Fiona

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Market to Market

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Just got back from a stroll around Covent Garden’s Food Market – a delicious distraction for a Thursday afternoon. Bought some juicy summery fruit from the lovely Tony Booth’s stall (catch him in the arches at Borough Market on the weekend) and forgot all about my healthy eating plan when I tucked into one of the yummy Pieminster Pies. Soft crumbly pastry and a mouthwatering filling of goats cheese, sweet potato and spinach – simply irresistible.

Running throughout the summer the Food Market is perfect for a lunch time stroll and less busy than my usual haunt at Borough on the weekend. Last week there was even a giant cupcake being served up to the hungry visitors (much mayhem ensued!) but thankfully we’ve had Peggy’s gorgeous cakes this week to keep our cupcake cravings at bay.

The Covent Garden Real Food Market takes place every Thursday from 16th April to 24th September from 12pm onwards.

Alex

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A weekend in Cornwall

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

kath1After a week of torrential rain, finally, on Friday afternoon, a strong warm westerly breeze blew the grey clouds away and bought us a glimpse of sunshine and the promise of a lovely evening. For my boyfriend and I, work was pushed to the back of our minds as we ended our day by heading over to the North Cornwall coast to Daymer Bay.

For those who have never had the pleasure, Daymer is on the North side of the Camel Estuary, opposite and slightly seaward from Padstow. It is an ideal location for all standards of boardsailer but is favoured by the local windsurfing gods who love the challenge of the well-named “Doom Bar” further out in the estuary, which can throw up some amazing waves in the right conditions.

My boyfriend windsurfed until the sun started to set. Out of the water and with the kit loaded, we headed around the coast towards Polzeath for a swift pint at the Oystercatcher; a St Austell Brewery pub overlooking Polzeath Bay and the Atlantic. Stunning. Then, a fish and chip supper - could things get any better?

Saturday’s weather was in question as we woke, and for very good reason. We held in our sticky palms tickets to the last Eden Session of the season – The Kooks.

Whoever said that Eden is the closest you’ll get to watching a gig on the Moon must be right! The atmosphere is always electric and the venue is truly awesome. I can’t describe the sheer beauty of these unique surroundings and the vastness of the stage built into the depths of Cornish clay country. Check out http://www.edenproject.com and see for yourself.

Kath

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Cupcake heaven

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

It might be dull and dreary outside but pretty in pink cupcake queen, Peggy Porschen has brightened the Wild Card office today with her gorgeous cupcakes. We count ourselves very lucky to work with such talented people. Thanks Peggy, enjoy your new KitchenAid and send us some pictures of it in action if you can!

Roxie & Fiona

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Eddie’s Lemon Ginger Cheesecake

Monday, July 13th, 2009

I love cheesecake.
Bored of banging out the same tired old vanilla cheesecake recipe I started to think what the best combinations might be for the ‘ultimate’ cheesecake. At the moment I am a HUGE fan of ginger, be it in a revitalizing ginger tea, in a Thai style dish, a sneaky little treat involving ginger biscuits or (as I have recently discovered) in a lovely long glass of Pimms as it adds a delicate spice to this refreshing summer drink.

This is where my mini cheesecake ‘brainstorm’ led me:

RECIPE (Serves 12-14)

Base
300g ginger nut biscuits (McVities are fine – the more gingery the better!)
50g butter

Mixture
900g cream cheese
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 balls of stem ginger in syrup finely sliced and cubed (this can be tricky to find in your average supermarket unless around Christmas time – you can buy it in Waitrose all year round though)
2 tsp ginger syrup

Optional:
1 small punnet of blueberries (favoured so you are on your way to ‘5 a-day’ and for aesthetic reasons when you slice)

• Grease flan dish (28cm diameter, rounded or equivalent)
• Melt butter in saucepan - remove from heat (NB. Be careful not to burn)
• Put biscuits in a plastic bag and roll into fine crumbs with a rolling pin (or blitz in a blender)
• Add biscuit crumbs to butter, mix well then press into the greased dish
• Put ginger base in the fridge for at least 30mins until firm
• Mix cheese and caster sugar together with a big spoon or an electric whisk
• Add stem ginger, lemon and ginger syrup (to taste) then add the eggs and beat well
• Pour mixture into the dish and cook at a low temperature 130 °C (fan) for 1 hour or until set. You can test this by putting your finger lightly in the middle and it should feel set not runny (make sure it doesn’t brown on the edges)
• NB. From previous experience if a cheesecake has been baked and is still too soft for serving it is best left in the fridge for 24 hours+ as it will naturally set in the cold temperatures
• Leave to cool

Give this recipe a go if you are a cheesecake fan. For those fortunate enough to work in the London branch of Wild Card there is a little afternoon treat in store as I’ve brought one in for you all to try. Constructive criticism welcome – as are suggestions for other cheesecake recipes. Anyone?

Eddie

cc

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Tasty

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Set in the beautiful surrounds of Regent’s Park, Taste of London is a must for any food lover (or anyone who eats). With over 35 of the capital’s best restaurants, food and wine producers, this year’s festival, held last month, was the best yet.

Thankfully prayers for sunshine were answered and wellies and brollies were stowed away.  The combination of Michelin starred food, fizz, music and sun seemed to be just the ticket for over 50,000 punters.

Affectionately nicknamed the ‘Glastonbury of Food,’ (sans mud), Taste of London was opened by our lovely London Mayor, Boris Johnson and Chair of the London Food Board, Rosie Boycott. Boris was effusive in his praise of London restaurateurs, who are facing difficult economic challenges and encouraged all Londoners to eat out as much as possible to support the restaurant industry. He also called on restaurateurs to invest in the future of the industry by taking on apprentices.

Then it was off to try signature dishes from Benares, Le Gavroche, Bumpkin and Launceston Place before getting back on his bicycle (complete with helmet) and making his way back to City Hall.

The who’s who in the food and drink world got into the swing of things quaffing champagne and daintily nibbling on canapés whilst talking about the earlier security alert (why would anyone want to disrupt a food festival?). The evening finished at about 10.30pm when visitors wandered out of Regent’s Park, replete. For the chefs, it was the start to a glorious weekend. For Wild Card, it was a triumphant first day.

Nish

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Vignettes of a summer week in town

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Tuesday evening in town was a scorching one, so I was relieved to steal a few calm, cool moments in the tucked-away oasis of The Connaught, where I sipped a glass of LP with the Grand Dame of the hotel world - Ms Fitzherbert - over industry talk.

Later on in Knightsbridge at the Oscar’s of the bartending world, the atmosphere was hot and hectic in the competition to find the UK’s Best Bartender. 15 finalists – whittled down from 1000 – took part in a series of performances in front of a panel of judges including the stern-faced Marco Pierre White, Ian Cameron from Theme and GQ’s Bill Prince.

An Edinburgh bartender, Ryan Chetiyawardana, was crowned winner having captivated the panel with his unassuming charm and authentic flip creation - a Three Storm Flip or ‘pudding in a glass’, the Gorgeous Group compere translated.

On Thursday I hotfooted down to Matthew D’Ancona’s lively Spectator Summer garden party where another kind of flipping was ‘the elephant in the room’ for the evening.

I waded through the political glitterati, news hounds, hacks and the odd fashionista. The party spilled over into the nextdoor’s garden. ITV, the Beeb and Channel Four anchors were well represented with Emily Maitlis, Andrea Catherwood, John Snow (in one of his more colourful tie combinations) in attendance. Political historian Andrew Roberts, Andrew Neil, Tory Michael Gove, Lord David Owen, Barrie Humphries and son Oscar, and the wild card for the evening - Ozwald Boetang, who was dressed in blinding white from head to toe. All sipped on Winston Churchill¹s favourite fizz, Pol Roger. A fine night was had by all. Chin-chin.

Nina

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Photographer’s notes

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

I love photography and I love to travel, so when I first met Brett, who shoots for Leica Camera and is an avid travel photographer, I knew we would get on.

Ironically, at our first meeting, we discovered that we would soon cross paths when I was travelling in Vietnam. I had just purchased a beautiful, black Leica D-LUX 4 and Vietnam would be it’s first outing. And what a treat it had in store.

When we met in Hanoi we were near the end of our trip, Brett near the beginning of his, but our views on the photographic potential of Vietnam were pretty much the same. The colours of the market, the faces in the streets, the awe-inspiring temples and the blindingly blue bays – this was a photographer’s dream, whatever camera they choose.

Back at home and back to work, and with the summer holidays approaching, we thought it was about time that the Wild Card crew brushed up on their photo skills so we invited Brett to come and give us a few pointers.

Brett’s advice is simple:

  • Blend in, get off the beaten track and document your trip.
  • Forget about writing a travel diary and keep a photo diary instead, taking a picture whenever you can (you can worry about keeping or deleting when you get home).
  • Mix scenic shots with close ups of faces, food, crafts and customs – the things that will keep reminding you of the smell, noise and taste you experienced, and the things your friends and family will really like to see.
  • Try to buy locals coffee, sit, interact and capture real life
  • Check out postcard stands to find the best sights, then try to shoot them yourself

It’s easy when you hear it from a pro! We all left feeling very inspired and wondering when we would next pick up our cameras and put them into action.

Me? Well, I’m off to Belgium in the morning. Keep checking out our blog for our photo adventures over the Summer.

Jen

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