A bit of fun at the end of the year, presented and assembled with enough caution that we didn't pursue certain avenues of product development, despite being sore tempted by the near-perfect concept of Seitan-based vegan Devils-on-Horseback.
This menu is intended to be a tasty, generous sharing meal as well as a taster of things we think are worth trying, worth thinking about or just some fun with recipes. Most of the content stems from our ongoing explorations of sustainability... a little ode to thoughts we’ve had about food, sourcing, flavour and the complexities of tradition vs innovation. This is especially relevant at this time of year, when we’d usually be eating mince pies for the sake of it.
Most of all, though, we want it to be a celebration- something to enjoy, something around which to gather (you can order it on Deliveroo!) and rooted in a desire make food that is kind to people and future-proofed in terms of its production and nutritional implications. But not too intense.
It attempts to engage with the following topics, among others:
Shortening
Are vegan butter alternatives driving Suet off the modern menu? Should we let this happen?
Ginger
How much is too much?
Forageable British alternatives to ginger.
How to use up the ground ginger we bought.
Kimchi without ginger.
Desserts
They say ‘stressed’ is ‘desserts’ spelled backwards but we’ve never taken the time to check this.
and... Russet Apples: how soft is too soft?
Lactic Acid
L.A. (not the place) is the common link on our Deliveroo offering: it’s what gives the tang to our sourdough and the fermenting agent in both the kimchi and the parsnips. It’s also the basis of a polymer that’s used in a lot of takeaway packaging. And it’s what you get in your legs when running. The obvious common theme on any Christmas menu.
Coppa
Do you eat much Coppa? No! Not the metal! Coppa is the Italian name for a cut of cured neck meat. Sounds nice??! It is also sometimes referred to as Gabagool. No food should have a name like that.
Anyhow, the good news is that it tastes better than those descriptions make it sound. If you like prosciutto, give Coppa a try down at WK this Christmas time.
Chestnut bechamel
Forget Heston. This is innovation. Up there with the Wheel.
We use chestnut flour as the base for a white sauce. We then use this as the base for a pizza instead of tomato, with pancetta, fiordilatte and sprouts on top.
Sea Buckthorn.
Look it up, then come and see what we’ve done.
Sparkenhoe
Basically raw-milk Stilton. Is to Stilton what clotted cream is to UHT milk. Served up with fennel jam and rye bread.
Kimchi
Casually made about 20kgs of kimchi the other day. We used British ingredients as the basis for our recipe including the famous Sea Buckthorn and a bag of chillies from Gold Hill farm. Tastes good.
Hot hot sauce
This might be the hottest hot sauce we’ve ever made. Stung by suggestions that our normal hot sauce is not very hot, we bought some Trinidad Scorpion chillies from South Devon Chilli Farm and voila! A hot sauce of real discomfort!
Bergamot oil
You may be aware that we’re into sustainability. The Christmas set menu listed on this page is an exploration of how different ideas and sustainable practices can be implemented, and what they taste like when they are put into practice. Seasonal sourcing from UK producers is pretty much a constant for us where possible, but we had to make an exception for Bergamot season. Broke the rules for this one.
Eggnog
Eggnog is not easily categorised: Dessert? Hearty energy drink? Aperitif? Monstrosity? Ambrosial marvel? Nutmeg McFlurry?
It seemed the most logical thing was to dismantle it and reassemble in a gingerbread sandwich- it has a lot in common with ice cream already, so why not complete the concept. Available in an indistinguishably delicious vegan version too.
Tenderstem broccoli
Is a kale-broccoli hybrid. Did you know that? Science!!
Garlic bread
How much blue cheese is too much blue cheese? We’ve got Devon Blue and Sparkenhoe Blue on at the moment. Try the blue cheese and hot sauce garlic bread! A sort of Buffalo wings concept that doesn’t require chickens.