My only communication with her beforehand had been one rather frantic telephone call to her answerphone the night before, as I realised I didn't have a clue as to where it was to be held (it turned out to be at her house). Alice is the creator of Love a Locavore catering, a company which aims to use only locally sourced, fresh, organic produce that is in season. A foodie's idea of heaven! Alice has made her name through cooking first-class breakfasts, lunches and dinners, mainly for private clients, and holding pop-up restaurant events once a month. This is where I come in. I was invited to her Black and White themed 2nd Birthday Party. The deal is for around 30 quid you are fed three-courses and canapes, with bring your own wine.
I arrived rather apprehensively - as someone who often feels a jolt of nerves before turning up to an event, this held the trump card - knocking on the door of a complete stranger, with, I knew, an evening of mingling with a host of strangers inside. But, despite my fleeting nerves, I was welcomed by a waiter brandishing champagne (always, always, always a good start / sign of a good evening!) We had been asked to dress for the theme, so, unsurprisingly, when I met my fellow diners, everyone was dressed smartly in black and white. I liked the dress code, as it provided a cohesion to the group, and a talking point. There were a mix of men and women, all in their late twenties, early thirties. Lovely. Canapes came in the shape of squid ink bread, topped with horseradish creme fresh and smoked swordfish. The bread was beautifully soft and the swordfish, which I had not eaten before, wonderfully tender and subtly smoked (see picture).
There was also black arincini - fried black rice balls hailing from 10th century Sicily, stuffed with, I think, mince. Again, wonderful flavour combinations. I decided then and there that this Alice was a complete cooking genius. Another thing that a fellow, greedy gourmand would appreciate was the generous portions, with each canape catered for at least two per person.
Then we sat down for dinner. There were two tables and it was up to us where we sat. I would have liked a seating plan, as, although it makes the evening a little more formal, it gives everyone the chance to mix up, as I noticed that the couples who knew each other sat together, which meant I didn't really get to meet any of them (violins out please ...)
We started with seared scallops on parsnip puree, garnished with tiny cubes of black pudding and wafer thin apple slices. I love scallops at the best of times, and these did not disappoint - translucent inside and perfectly plump (see picture).
Main was fillet of pollack with jersey potatoes, fried black potatoes and micro leaves. Pollack is a white, meaty fish, a little like cod, which, again, went well with the accompaniments.
Pudding was a vanilla panna cotta with home-grown blackberry compote. The panna cotta had a fabulous sheen and wobble to it, with flecks of vanilla evenly dotted through it. I had never tried panna cotta before, and I have since then been striving to eat it again, although, I hasten to add, I have not had one as good since.
We then had a cheese course with suitably black and white cheeses, black (well, purple) and white grapes, and black and white biscuits.
I would highly recommend attending one of Alice's pop-up restaurants because, mainly, it is just a lovely treat: a chance to eat yummy food, meet like-minded foodies and be a little bit pampered for the evening. See you at the next one!
Have a gander round http://lovealocavore.com/about/ to find out more.
