Darina Allen: Every trip to London is a chance to enjoy new culinary experiences
Year Balsamic Dalla's 12 Frittatina With Aged
I spent a few lovely days in London recently.
Ostensibly, I was over for the London Oyster Championships where Federico Fiorillo of Bentley’s in Mayfair shucked ten oysters in 1 minute and 5 seconds… can you imagine?
As ever, it was an opportunity to check out the London restaurant scene.
I only had a couple of days, but I made the most of the short interlude.
Dalla on Morning Lane in Hackney was a new find, a deceptively simple neighbourhood Italian that feels just like a family restaurant in Naples.
Sounds a bit random but check out the Luigi Caccia Dominioni door handle on the loo door, just one of the many little design details that surprises.
We loved the food, small plates of deliciousness. The menu changes regularly but there are a few dishes that the local regulars protest if they disappear from the menu, the frittatina drizzled with 12 year old aged balsamic, the meltingly tender stuffed tortellini, the tiramisu.
I particularly relished the Cotoletta di Maiale alla Bolognese con Prosciutto Crudo and Fonduta Parmigiano.
Mitchell Damota heads up the kitchen with Gianmarco Leone.
Put Dalla on your London list and even though it is quite a schlepp from central London, we’ll definitely be back for more.
While you’re in the area, you might want to call into Violet Cakes on Wilton Way and pick up some of Claire Ptak’s sweet treats and celebration cakes that lure people from all over London.
Talking about delicious bakes, we went all the way to Brixton to find Maya’s Bakehouse. Some of the most delicious and original bakes I’ve come across.
Crusty sourdough and an intriguing range of sweet and savoury buns and slices. The onion soup bun was one of the best things I’ve tasted in a very long time, a layer of melting cheese in a round brioche bun with deliciously caramelised onions on top.
How fortunate are folks in Brixton to have Maya’s Bakehouse around the corner?
Another new find was a Galician restaurant IBAI which Grace Dent, restaurant critic of the Guardian, accurately described as “a swanky restaurant that lacks pomposity”.
IBAI is a Basque influenced restaurant that specialises in aged Galician Blond beef steaks edged with a layer of delicious yellow, flavour-packed fat. There’s also beautiful Wagyu and Black Angus.
It’s cooked over fire, charred on the outside, rare and succulent on the inside - a truly memorable piece of beef with a choice of sauces.
At lunch, between four of us, we shared one ribeye from a 12 year old Galician Blond that had been aged for 65 days with a bowl of dripping chips.
There were several slices, and the T-Bone left over for a guest to take home for supper for himself and his dog!
Superb as it is, I mustn’t give the impression that it is all about the steak, the little appetiser bites and starters are definitely worth a detour alone.
The truffle panisse and the flavour of the tender sweetcorn with black truffle will live on in my taste memory for a very long time!
The boudin noir with melted Galician Ossau-Iraty cheese and the Croque IBAI sandwich with a layer of carabineros, the red prawns of Galicia, are not to be missed and on and on…
By the time we came to dessert, we were almost defeated but somehow managed a refreshing cider granita, I’m still haunted by the thought of the IBAI pan perdu with hazelnuts and rum and of course, there was a wobbly Basque cheesecake and much, much more.
Richard Foster originally from Chiltern Firehouse is the head chef.
St. Paul’s Cathedral where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were wed is just a street away and the beautiful but less visited 1901 Church of Saint Bartholomew the Great is also close by.
Little Britain mentioned in Great Expectations is just around the corner. Man does not live by Bread Alone!
Dalla's Frittatina with 12-Year-Aged Balsamic
For To This Thank Dalla Sharing Recipe Special With Me Restaurant A You
Servings
1Time Preparation
10 minsTime Cooking
10 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
Mainingredients
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Parmesan Grated
Finely 1 Sliced Spring Onion Tbsp
Of Pinch Salt
Cook: to
Olive Oil
Butter
to Serve:
Year Aged 12 Balsamic Vinegar
method
Whisk A Frittatina The Bowl Well All The For In Ingredients
Pan Teaspoon Teaspoon Meanwhile, Nonstick Hot Nice A Add Get Of Oil And And A And A Of Butter
Bit As Omelette The Rubber Move Egg Would A Add To Around A It The You And Pan An With Spatula
Runny But Still Has Top Continue The On Some Colour Side It The Bottom Fry To Until On One On
Plate Invert To Is On A Crispy The Plate Slide Top On With The Side Another Frittata And Top So Onto
And Balsamic A Serve Hot Drizzle Of With Bit 12 Vinegar Aged Year
French onion soup with Gruyére toasts
Crusty Baguette This Delicious Of Served With Bursting Soup Flavour Classic And Slices Delicate And Enduring With Fresh Is
Servings
6Preparation Time
20 minsTime Cooking
60 minsTime Total
1 hours 20 minsCourse
SideCuisine
Frenchingredients
1 35kg Onions
50g Butter
Stock 7 L 1
Salt
Pepper
Of 6 1cm Toasted Thick Baguette, Slices
Cheese Grated Gruyére 75g
method
Onion Cook Onions Low Well Add About Minutes But Dark And The 40 Should The Frequently The 60 On Thinly Peel With Butter – Melt The And Saucepan Stirring Off, The Slice Lid Onions Burnt A A Heat Caramelised Not And Be For In
Add Stock, Cook The Further And Season With For And Seasoning Correct To Bring Boil Taste Pepper, The And 10 A Salt Minutes
Grated Each Into Cheese Deep Until Pop Turns The Piece One Melts Cheese Covered Of Toasted Of Bowls, A Put On With The Under Baguette Golden And Grill Top Ladle Soup
Beware Serve It Hot Very Immediately Will But – Be
Your Nerve, Well Too Must Weak The Hold Sweet Soup And Very Will Otherwise The Be Be Onions Caramelised note:
Dripping chips
Fat Them Beef To And How Classic Make Chips The
Servings
6Time Preparation
60 minsTime Cooking
10 minsTime Total
1 hours 10 minsCourse
Sideingredients
6 (golden Wonders Potatoes Kerr's Or Pinks) Large 4
method
Size Chips Salted Fully Water Cook Cut Almost The Peel, Desired Boiling Potatoes In Cooked Until The To
160°c, Of Dripping Sure Dripping Plenty Make The Deep To Heat Has Fry
Drain Well Batches Cook Chips The In Golden, Until
(do Chips Oil Of Or Be Not The Crisp Lowered, While Will Twice, The To The Overload Temperature Basket, Pan Separate Than Rather Greasy Shake Cooking) Be Consequently The Otherwise Once Note: Will The Chips The
Serve: to
More Colour The 190°c Crisp Golden Deep And And To Once Fry A Heat Until Oil
A Onto Salt, Shake Well, Immediately Hot Paper, Dish Onto Kitchen Serve Little The A Toss Drain With Serving And Turn Sprinkle Basket,
how Dripping Make To Beef
That Made The Organic Any Pieces Beef Chop Best The Beef Fat The Available The Or Blood Small To If Into Buy Encases Dripping Plumbing Kidney Of Fat Try From Is Traces Remove
The Solidifies Old Very Has A Low Roasting An Tin Be Oven Suet Months Stainless Or Of Bowl A Fridge Pour Will Hour Mark Regular Dripping Make At A Can Put Steel A To Keep Beef Cook Fat For A Out Diced Used It For Off 150°c/gas Or And Enamel The Into The Into In Rendered About At 2 And Delicious And Cake Fashioned Fat Liquid Intervals Until In
The Roast Dripping, Cheap Fry Vitamin Agree My And Flavour In Is Oil Warm Opinion, Preferable Gently Were Used Frying Best Myrtle Rich Is And Deep The For Chips Can Low I Beef It Be Will Fat Believed And, D Beef Deep Grade In Liquefy Allen Those Always Is Cooked In That The Health Or In Fat, Simply Melt Frequently To It And Far For To Used Both That Terms Potatoes To And
It’s The Be After Up Is Beef Otherwise Use Oil Burn Of Times Does Provided Dripping Can Important Fat Heated Mark The 230°c/gas Can And It Little When Through To Use, Five Strained The Will The Fine Particles Beef One Reheated A Sieve Burn 8 To Strain Food Each Is Tin To Not Oil
Dripping, Around Super The Creative, Or His Beef Chips Kidney, Innovative Allen Rather James And Made Shop You’re Myrtle Time Rendered The ) And Fat Nationwide, Whelan's From Various Jameswhelanbutchers In Your From For Poor, And Dripping Butcher And Delicious Own Not From Would Roasties Beef And Look Nutritious… If (my Out Always Make Mother Dripping Clonmel Locations
Growing herbs is an easy way to start your food growing experience. Fresh herbs add magic to your cooking, providing flavour, colour, smell and medicinal benefits year round.
Sonya McGee is a certified herbalist practitioner with over 7 years of experience working with herbs to support physical and mental health.
In one busy afternoon, Sonya will take you through the entire process - from growing to foraging, harvesting to drying and then creating herbal infusions and teas for you to enjoy.
Based in our Farm School HQ and herb garden, you'll have lots of opportunities to pick, taste and forage for seasonal herbs around our organic farm.
Planning Your 2025 Fruit and Vegetable Garden with Klaus Laitenberger
Delivered by Klaus Laitenberger, a renowned organic grower and educator as well as author of four gardening books: ‘The Self-Sufficient Garden’, ‘Vegetables for the Irish Garden’, ‘Fruit and Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse’ and ‘A Vegetable Grower’s Handbook’, this full day course is structured for anyone who plans to start, restart or maintain a food garden.
This course will cover the basics of planning a food growing space no matter what size - from ground preparation to tool selection, knowing not just which fruit and vegetable to grow but where, when and what quantities, crop rotation and how to design your space to make the most out of the conditions and resources available to you.