A husband and wife team. Yusuf is a professional chef, Clarissa is a designer, events organiser and very good cook. Regular supper clubs in Norfolk, Suffolk, Devon and London. For bookings and event information email unthanksupperclub@gmail.com

Thursday 30 August 2012

Norfolk Food&Drink Festival


During September we will be celebrating all that Norfolk's fertile land has to offer. Amazing lamb from DJ Barnard the award winning grazier and butcher. Locally sourced oysters from Brancaster, apples from our orchard, veggies from the sweet old man down the lane..I kid you not!

The September Menu for London...

it varies  slightly for Norwich and The Sticks, see changes on our Facebook events page please.


Menu-Meaty......



Brancaster Oysters

Parsnip veloute

Roast bone marrow on Kate Sullivans' sourdough melba toast with parsley salad

5 Hour Norfolk lamb with fennel, garlic and vinegar
Broad bean spaghetti
Mint and blackberry jelly
Turnips

Lavender meringues with poached Harling apple, elder berry syrup and a raspberry marshmallow


Veggie

Parmesan crisp with baby broad beans with mint and lemon

Parsnip veloute

Braised endive and on Kate Sullivans sourdough bread

Aubergine and Norfolk dapple stack
mint and blackberry jelly
Broad bean spaghetti
Turnips

Lavender meringues with poached Harling apple, elderberry syrup and a raspberry marshmallow

**The menu may change on the day according to the freshest produce.**

Fresh mint tea from my garden



Supper in the Sticks 21st September
Norwich Supper Club 14th September
The London Supper Club 29th September Fully booked

To make a booking please email unthanksupperclub@gmail.com

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Eating out is hard to do...no pun intended!

Eating out for Yusuf and I is very problematic.
We both love food and we can both cook. Recently at one of our gatherings a member named Dave who works at a food institute did a litmus test on all of the guests. There is nothing quite like a parlour game with a scientific end is there? At the end of this test we both discovered that we were supertasters. Which made a lot of sense, as we both have a very heightened sense of taste, and for me a super sensitive nose too. My sense of smell can be so acute sometimes it is quite hard work living in a rural agricultural farming area certain times of year can make me literally gag! SO..bearing all of this in mind we are not easily pleased when it comes to eating out. We are not snobs, we like all kinds of food if it is well prepared and cooked..and fresh.

When we do find a good meal it is a wondrous thing.
We certainly found one at Burnt Enz in what was the Climpson's roastery in Hackney recently. They had built two custom built brick ovens outside with a BBQ grill. Dave the chef and team were serving some excellent food, quality ingredients served very simply.

We ordered the roast suckling pig and a grilled lobster with aiolli and salad, it was so good. Yusuf only had one evening off so we made a 200 mile round trip to eat at Burnt Enz and it was more than worth it.
 I have eaten a lot of pig, all kinds of nose to tail pig, rare breed pig, not so rare breed pig, slow cooked pig, New York bacon, piggy confit, piggy feet, piggy nose and ears, piggy head, liver, heart you name it I have eaten it.

Piglet did not dissapoint.
The flesh was soft and almost buttery, and the cracking was light and crispy and delicious. Yusuf ordered the lobster next, he took advantage of my striking up conversation with a restauranteur also sat at our table and nearly polished off the whole thing while I was chatting. The lobster was dispatched just before it was cooked so it was VERY fresh, and very sweet and beautifully cooked.

The restauranteur sat with us explained Nuno Mendes was sat in our seats just before we sat down, this was a pretty positive sign the food was going to be good. Yusuf and I have not eaten at Viajante, but we had a cocktail recently in the bar of The Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green and it was out of this world good.
The demolished suckling pig
Burnt Enz were serving some great real micro brewery beers and cocktails, unfortunately I was driving so I missed out on the rather yummy looking espresso martini's. Shame! What I loved about his place, and about what is happening all over Hackney is that incongruous places, industrial units, railway arches, old car showrooms are turned into semi make shift venues, bars, cafes and restaurants. All usual formality is suspended and there is a laid back scruffy make shift style. No million pound makeovers, no chandeliers. Just awesome food and drinks.

While we were at Burnt Enz we bumped into the lovely Leluu a fellow supper club runner, amidst many other talents. Leluu cooked for my hen party, the most delicious ten course Vietnamese feast which will always be a truly unforgettable memory.

Leluu and I have a few things in common. We both set up supper clubs in 2009 with our partners, we both have a fashion/clothing design background, we both cook and take pictures and we are both Hackney girls so it was lovely to finally meet her properly and experience what she does, so very well.   I thank my wonderful hens for reading my mind on that one. Amazing bunch of girls I have in my life.

The hens, or as I named the The New Bridal Army gave me a surprise whirlwind tour of London on a black gothic routemaster bus full of margaritas, drag queens, disco, gay strippers and  actual magic (a card trick that burst into flames inches from my face!..no idea?!). One of the surprise stops was Leluu's place in Hackney, my old stomping ground. She has a lovely home and is a fantastic cook and host, her Bo La Lot (beef in betel leaf) nearly made my sister cry with joy when she ate it. I kid you not.
Leluu very sweetly said she would come to my first London supper club in Hackney on the 29th September, how exciting! It will be a pleasure to cook for her after such a joyous meal at her place. I do so hope I don't get stage fright and burn everything..

Spaces for my London supper club are very limited and are already almost full. Email me to make a booking.




Thursday 23 August 2012

Enjoying what you do

Recently I cooked at home for a table full of wonderful people.
The Menu went...
The Carnivores Menu
1.Mushroom barley miso with sea lettuce and fish balls
2.Summer rolls
3.Lemongrass seafood lollipops
4.Pomelo salad

5.Salmon in banana leaf
6.Rice vermicelli with coriander and spring onion
7.Trai cay with Mochi

The Veggie Menu
1.Mushroom barley miso with sea lettuce
2.Summer rolls
3.Mooli wontons
4.Pomelo salad
5.Tofu in banana leaf
6.Rice vermicelli with coriander and spring onion


7.Trai Cay with Mochi


I don't mind admitting that I am way behind on Twitter and have only just really started using it to A. be of any interest and B. be useful. This tiny supper in the sticks owed half of it's guest to Twitter. Thank you Twitter! Courtesy of a wonderful woman named Kirsty at TiddlyPomDesign I had four rather fabulous guests at my table. It has not been easy living in the sticks after years of London and travel...it can be mono culture-ish..it stifles me somewhat. The lack of diversity I find really hard sometimes. What was truly wonderful was that through a tweet I met four wonderfully creative and hilarious people some of whom live in my own stomping ground of Hackney. We sat in my garden smoking fags and drinking wine until the early hours. It was lovely. We ate..

Salmon in banana leaf with tamari, ginger, garlic, chilli and kaffir lime

Vegan wonton, a project I have been working to perfect. It want very well.

Pearl mushroom barley miso with fish ball


What was more lovely was Kirsty sent me this illustration..penned by her own fair hand of me doing what I do. Glass in hand...
I must confess, I had a tear in my eye when I opened this. And she very sweetly made me look quite a lot thinner! Thanks for that.


Saturday 4 August 2012

Next events are..

Supper in the Sticks August 17th limited spaces in South Norfolk Fully Booked

Gourmet grills and BBQ 24th August Central Norwich 2 spaces left

The London Supper Club 29th September
5 courses of amazing Norfolk produce, oysters from Brancaster, and my five hour lamb with fennel, garlic and vinegar.
We will be celebrating all that Norfolk and this opulent season has to offer.

Email unthanksupperclub@gmail.com to book

When booking please email food advice like allergies, veggie etc and leave a contact number. Booking will not be accepted without a contact number.

Cooking alone and Supper in the Sticks

At the tender age of 40 I had an epiphany last night whilst cooking a 7 course meal for my Supper in the Sticks event. 


I LIKE TO COOK ALONE.


I thoroughly enjoy cooking alone, it makes me very happy. As I am now married to a chef this poses some problems...we are both very strong characters. He is calm and deeply grounded, I am calm with bouts of hot headed passion (the fun kind and the not so fun kind...I am a fire sign, big temper! and really silly) 
Recently my husband and I had a disagreement over a risotto, there were 3 pans of risotto on and we were deep frying two other pans. My lovely husband gestured crossly at me with a slotted spoon which...and here is the flash point, had just come out of the deep frying pan, flicking hot oil down the centre of my body. I did what any woman should do at this point and kicked his arse really hard in flip flops (yes I know I should be wearing more sensible shoes in the kitchen) and called him ''what have you F**ing T*at''...in front of two friends at the kitchen sink.


It was embarrasing. I wasn't proud of myself. But worse than that, none of it was enjoyable. We both said sorry,  but it was not a great moment.


I will now be cooking alone, in my home once or twice a month. Last night saw the launch of my first 'Supper in the Sticks'. I cooked a 7 course Vietnamese meal in my home and it was a great success. It is a treat to meet some rather dynamic and very beautiful (such an attractive table last night!) women. South Norfolk clearly has a hidden bevy of beauties.


The Menu was...
Veggie
Goi Cuon
Summer rolls
Kohlrabi salad with perilla and peanuts and hot and sour dressingBap Cai Don
Carrot and cabbage rolls
Tomato and eggflower soup
Dau Phu Chien Xa Ot
Deep fried bean curd with lemon grass
Ca Nuong
Grilled Aubergine with soy
Meaty
Goi Cuon

Summer rolls with pork and prawn
Kohlrabi salad with perilla and peanuts and hot and sour dressing
Bo La Lot
Beef wrapped in betel leaf with dipping sauce
Bo Nuong Xa
Chargrilled lemongrass beef
Tomato and eggflower soup
Salt and chili prawn
Dessert
Trai cay

Fresh fruit with cinnamon and lime dressing
Fresh mint tea from my garden


We are still running our collaborative night in Norwich every month as per usual, and I will be wearing much more sensible shoes next time. 


LONDON is also calling! I am establishing a London Supper Club too....watch this space.




Wednesday 1 August 2012

August 24th Gourmet Grills and Que


The Menu

Stuffed baby squid with prawn and lime leaf

Vietnamese noodle salad

BBQ Pork belly Ssam with lettuce and pineapple salsa

Char-grilled and marinated aubergine with chili, ginger, garlic and soy

Slow cooked lamb with cumin, shaoxing rice wine, black vinegar and cumin

Bay tree beef kebabs 

Falafel and carrot and caraway salad

Salt and pepper tofu

Home made lemon rolls

Garlic yogurt

Pots of fresh mint tea and coffee and jugs of fresh water

BYO

Please state if you are veggie or meaty

Suggested donation £25 cash