December 2016 issue

9

A HIVE OF ACTIVITY TampL discovers unique Christmas gifts on Northcote Road

OUT AND ABOUT

As Editor therersquos nothing better than unexpectedly discovering a local gem This month I was walking along Northcote Road in the crisp autumn air and stumbled across The Hive Honey Shop Stepping inside not only did I discover 20000 live bees in a beehive housed in a 5ft glass case on the wall but the fascinating owner James Hamill who is a third-generation beekeeper James has been a beekeeper since he was five years old and in 1995 he was awarded a QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) Scholarship for Beekeeping amp Bee Disease by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Every jar of honey in The Hive Honey Shop is handmade and its contents come from all around the world During our impromptu conversation James told me his prediction for the future of honey ldquoHoney is going to be like caviar In fact I think itrsquos going to be more expensive than caviar Itrsquoll be the most expensive food commodity in the next 50 years Yoursquore going to look back and think lsquo

My God I used to go to the supermarket and there were shelves full of itrdquo

Itrsquos becoming known that bees are currently under threat and there are now more challenges he adds ldquoThe latest news is that therersquos a hornet from Asia thatrsquos going to take out about 80 of the beehives in this country Therersquos no way to track them or eradicate them and this was only discovered a few weeks agordquo

If yoursquore looking for unique gifts Irsquod recommend a trip to The Hive Honey Shop James told me what products are most popular this year ldquoThe things that people love at Christmas is our pure beeswax candles andEnglish Honey amp Cinnamon and English Ling Honeyfrom Dorsetrdquo

Bees play a crucial role in our ecosystem and their plight is increasingly worrying so it was a real joy to meet a passionate local thatrsquos fighting on their behalf ndash with the late Queen Motherrsquos approval no less And I can attest that his bees also make wonderful pots of honey an ideal Christmas gift for all foodies wwwthehivehoneyshopcouk

DECEMBER AT A GLANCE

TOPGIFT

TAKE A FESTIVE BITE The Christmas Shopping Evening at Eric Lanlardrsquos Cake Boy in Battersea is back by popular demand on 14 December An opportunity to sample their Christmas goodies and gifts as well as tasting delicious bites served up by local French bistro Gazette wwwcake-boycoukevents

Find our interview with Eric on page 16

TALKING POINTWandsworth residents are being asked for their thoughts on one of the new lsquoQuietwayrsquo cycle routes being developed across London by Transport for London Designed to offer more low-traffic options for cyclists particularly for those that are less confident on the main roads the route in question is from Clapham Common to Wimbledon and is known as lsquoQuietway 4rsquo

Modifications have already been integrated following initial feedback and Wandsworthrsquos transport spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook is encouraging further community comments ldquoIt is important that people study these new plans carefully and tell us what they think Itrsquos vitally important to ensure these routes are as well designed as possible and do not have an adverse impact on other road users pedestrians and visitors to our commons and open spacesrdquo

To see the proposed route in more detail visitwwwwandsworthgovukquietways All commentsneed to be submitted by December 18

LIGHT UP A LIFETHIS CHRISTMAS

Remember loved ones this Christmas starting with

the lighting of a spectacular Christmas tree at Royal Trinity

Hospice at 645pm on Thursday 8 December Immediately afterwards therersquoll be a candlelit procession to Holy Trinity Clapham for a special service with guest readers and carol singing followed by wine and mince pies Every penny raised from lsquoLight up a Lifersquo will help the hospice provide skilled compassionate end-of-life care for patients and their families

FESTIVE BIKE RIDEJoin fireworks lanterns lights and entertainers as you ride across Lambeth guided by travelling soundscape The ride will be escorted by safety marshalls

and leaves from The Polygon in Clapham Old Town then goes around Clapham Common and right through to Brixton

Windmill All proceeds from ticket sales go to Wheels for Wellbeing

charity 11 December 4pm pound3 wwwomnibus-claphamorg

A LOCAL MARKET

Visit the SoLo Craft Fair for all your Christmas gifts and a day of festivities food drink and crafts The Polygon Clapham Old Town SW4 0AF Free entry 12-6pm with families and dogs welcome wwwsolocraftfaircom

POP UPPOP UPPOP UPis back on 2 December at Hotel Du Vin Wimbledon featuring a day of food style

and gifts Get your tickets now atwwwwimbledonpopupcouk

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10

STAR-QUALITY COOKING

10 MINUTES WITH ADAMCongratulations on your Michelin star for the 2017 Michelin Guide you must be so chuffed Achieving it at Trinity after being here for ten years is a fantastic achievement but more importantly itrsquos brilliant for south London itrsquos brilliant for the local community and itrsquos brilliant for the people who have been my loyal customers and supported me

Will it change your approach to Trinity at all Wersquore not going to become a different restaurant or change what we do The great thing about being a long-standing restaurant and being endorsed in this way is it just puts the icing on the cake for us really Wersquore just really proud and incredibly enthused by what the future holds for us

And what are you going to be eating for Christmas this yearI always eat prawn cocktail as a starter on Christmas Day and have a side of Moxonrsquos smoked salmon which we first have for breakfast with scrambled eggs and thenlater serve as a canapeacute with late-morning champagne

What about Christmas Eve I always eat kedgeree on Christmas Eve Itrsquos the ideal Christmas Evedish for me ndash itrsquos everything that Irsquom not going to be eating for the next few days and itrsquos simple delicious and light

What makes the ultimate Christmas pudding A brilliant Christmas pudding can live or die by the quality of the mincemeat used For truly great mincemeat there needs to be plenty of alcohol and time to allow the pudding to mature

Where is your favourite Christmas dining spot in south west London I donrsquot dine out much during December and tend to cook across the holiday period but I did have a great New Yearrsquos Eve dinner at May the Fifteenth last year It was the perfect celebratory meal

Try cooking something different this Christmas with our EXCLUSIVE recipes and tips from newly Michelin-starred Adam Byatt of Trinity Restaurant in Clapham Common

FOOD

lsquolsquo

wwwtrinityrestaurantcouk

ADAMrsquoS CHRISTMAS SAGE amp ONION STUFFING WITH APRICOTS

This stuffing is for goose but if turkey is your calling then exchange the apricots for chestnuts and cranberriesServes Enough to comfortably fill a large goose

Ingredientsbull 1 bunch sage pick leaves and chop finelybull 1 bunch parsley chop finelybull 1 onion finely choppedbull 150g x salted butterbull 200g x good quality semi-dried apricots

roughly chopped and boiled to rehydratebull Bread crumbs made from a medium white

loaf should weigh approx 250gbull 100g or four rashers of well-smoked

bacon or pancetta chopped into thin strips or lardons

bull 1 large whole eggbull 1 orange zested

Method1 Take a lot of time to melt the onions with

the butter and add some seasoning overa medium heat As the onions are nearing the end of their cooking add the smoked bacon and continue to cook for a further10 minutes

2 Once the onions and bacon are cooked add them still warm to a bowl add the parsley sage and bread crumbs

3 Crack the whole egg and add to the bowl season the mix and add the chopped soaked apricots and the orange zest

4 Store the mix in the fridge for 1 day then use it to fill the cavity of a goose Once the goose is cooked serve the stuffing on the side

ADAMrsquoS MINCEMEAT TART

Serves 8-10

Ingredientsbull For the toppingbull 500g all butter puff pastrybull 60g icing sugarbull 200g salted almonds

Mincemeat ndash you can buy good quality ready made But if you want to makeyour own this is a great mixture

bull 10 lemons boiled for 1 hour until soft left to cool

bull 1kg raisinsbull 1kg sultanasbull 10 Bramley apples peeled and choppedbull 1kg dried mixed fruitbull 750g mixed peelbull 1kg beef suetbull 1kg dark brown muscovado sugarbull 1kg currantsbull 10tsp ground cinnamonbull 10tsp freshly grated nutmegbull 10tsp mixed spicebull 10tsp ground gingerbull 500ml brandybull 500ml sherry

Method1 Roll the puff pastry to approximately the size

of an A4 piece of paper the pastry should be thin about the thickness of a pound1 coin evenlyall over

2 Dock the pastry with a fork and rest in the fridge for 20mins

3 Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and place onto a baking sheet

4 Blend all the filling ingredients togetherand spread on the pastry base 1cm thickTop with salted almonds and dust with the icing sugar

5 Crimp the edges of the tart with thumb and forefinger and bake at 190 C for 15 minutes until the tart is crisp on the outside Turn the tart over and bake face down for a further10 minutes

6 Remove the tart and dust over any remaining icing sugar Cut into portions and serve with brandy butter

ADAMrsquoS SAUTEacute OF CHESTNUTS AND BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Serves 2

Ingredientsbull 15g butter bull 30g cooked chestnutsbull 30g picked Brussel sprout top leavesbull 20g smoked bacon lardonsbull 1 garlic clovebull 1 sprig of thymebull Splash of Madeira

Preparing your ingredients1 Cut the base off the Brussel sprouts discard

outer leaves and separate all inner leaves to be used for cooking Blanch these in boiling

salted water for 2 minutes and refresh in cold water Retain for later

2 Cut bacon lardons into small cubes3 Roughly chop chestnuts4 Finely dice garlic clove5 Remove leaves from the sprig of thyme

Instructions1 Melt the butter until foaming and add the

chopped chestnuts2 Add lardons into the butter until crisp drop

in the blanched sprout leaves and toss with the garlic and thyme until the leaves are soft

3 Add the Madeira and reduce

Tip A great garnish for pheasant oxtailor game birds

FOOD

EXCLUSIVECHRISTMAS

RECIPES