On May 19th, 2008, James Bridle and Ed Arthur competed in the inaugural Food 2.0: Nom Nom Nom event. This page lists their menu, ingredients, and some of the media created that day.
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The Menu:
Nettle Soup
For the starter, we made Nettle Soup, a traditional British forage food in May, when the plants are at their freshest. We picked ours the morning of the cook-off in Abney Park, North London.
Nettles lose their sting when cooked or dried, and can be treated like spinach or any other young green - although they have their own particular taste. They make an excellent soup, as well as beer and much besides.
To make the soup, saute a little garlic and a few shallots, then add a potato for body and some freshly shelled peas for colour, pouring in boiling stock and simmering for about ten minutes, until the veg is tender. Then add a big pile of nettle leaves (pick just the tops of the plant) and simmer for another ten minutes.
We served it chilled in shot glasses on the day, and I fear I (James) overdid the salt a bit, which lost us some points with the judges. Hey ho, so it goes. I heartily recommend this dish in any case...
Scotched Eggs
Ed's been practicing his Scotched Eggs for a while, and he's particularly pleased with his 50s Mincer, which he got off ebay:
Ed makes his eggs according to his secret recipe (which he's graciously agreed to reveal), but the basics are: excellent-quality pork (in this case, from The Ginger Pig), wrapped around a perfectly-boiled egg (it should still be just soft when you crack it open), rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.
The scotched eggs were presented on a carpaccio of courgette: the courgettes very finely sliced and marinated in lemon juice and olive oil, with a side of pickled shallots and fresh salad cream. We think they were pretty damn good. Here's the recipe.
(N.B. It is Scotched not Scotch eggs. 'Scotching' refers to roughly chopping the meat, and has nothing to do with Scotland.)
Grandma's Trifle
James' grandmother, Nancy Balfour, was the inspiration behind Cooking With Booze, and pretty much all James' cooking. Her motto was: "the difference between a good cook and a great cook is half a pound of butter." Words to live by.
Her trifle was famous throughout the home counties, capable of reducing grown men to cream-flecked wrecks. Soft sponge is topped with fresh, chewy macaroons, spread with strawberry jam, soaked in sherry, brandy and egg custard, topped with whipped cream and garnished with, well, whatever comes to hand.
The trifle is a true CWB dish, one of the most sensuous, stupefying things we know. Despite the frenzy of competition, it and everything else was a joy to make. The full recipe is available here. Enjoy.
The Photos:
You can see shedloads more photos in my Flickr set, and everybody else's.