Bloggerview with Mr Matthew Steeples who spills the beans

Matthew Steeples

Name
Matthew Steeples

Occupation
Editor, The Steeple Times

What would you like to plug?
http://thesteepletimes.com

Name your three dessert island ingredients
Given that there would hopefully be lots of fish to be caught and exotic fruits to harvest, I’d have
to take a limitless supply of No. 3 gin, tonic water and though it’s not an ingredient an absolute
essential would be an ice machine.

What would I find in your fridge that I might find odd?
Wispa chocolate bars.

Food stuffs that you would put in room 101
Peanut butter, artichokes and tofu.

What would you like to have for your last supper?
Snipe on white toast with lots of butter.

What cook book do you use the most?
The world wide web.

Your favourite spice is …..
Naturally, given my love of gin, it has to be juniper.

Best dinner party guests and what would you cook them?
Jamie Oliver’s beetroot salad with cottage cheese, followed by a roasted shoulder of lamb with
spices and couscous, Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding and then lots of English cheeses. We’d begin
with a Negroni or three, G&Ts and a little champagne and then move to a good Chablis followed by a
fine claret.

Spice is the variety of life so if it were to be an imaginary list, I’d have a few of the following: General
Pinochet, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, Sara Blakely, Arthur Ransome, Kathy Lette, Steven
Berkoff, Leona Helmsley, Nigel Farage, Martha Stewart, Alan Whicker, Iris Apfel, Norman Balon,
Natalie Massenet, Sir Peter O’Sullevan, Baroness Trumpington, Claus von Bülow, Nancy Wake,
Charlie Richardson, Clare Balding, Lapo Elkann, Rebekah Brooks, Lord Lucan, Anna Wintour, Mary
Frost, Dame Judi Dench, Loyd Grossman, Dame Maggie Smith, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Winner
and Count Robin de la Lanne-Mirrlees. With such a variety, a few sparks might fly.

What was your tea time treat as a child?
Cheap white toast which I preferred served with Captain Birdseye fish fingers and Heinz tomato
ketchup as a sandwich. Many will be horrified but this is still one of my guilty pleasures.

What was the first thing you learnt to cook?
Roast chicken.

And what was the first thing you taught your children to cook?
I don’t have any children yet but when I do, it’ll have to be roast chicken.

What was your mother’s signature dish, and do you try to copy it?
As I grew up with lots of fish and game around me, both my mum’s salmon and sea trout dishes and
such things as stewed hair were always on the menu. I’d like to say I try and copy such but mine are
never nearly as good.

What dish gets you out of a tricky situation with your partner?
I am single but a hearty lamb hotpot normally cheers up most people when there have been problems.

What would you say was your most memorable meal?
This year, so far, it’s a tie between one at a friend’s house which finished with a visit from the police
and a lunch party that started at 1pm and ended at 1am the next day. That one began at Mari Vanna
and ended in The Rib Room. Lots of horseradish infused vodka was consumed I do believe.

And what would be your biggest disaster?
Managing to spill red wine over Cecil Parkinson at a dinner when I was a teenager.

What do you wish you had never eaten, but had to?
Popcorn. I detest the smell.

What do you consider to be the Best of British?
Meat from Allens of Mount Street.

What do you think are the best and worst things about London restaurants?

The worst things:
1. The increasing prevalence of ones with “no reservation” policies.
2. Menus peppered with spelling and grammatical errors.
3. Amateurs who’ve watched TV shows and therefore think they’re restaurateurs.

The best things:
1. The huge variety of cuisines on offer.
2. The array of talented individuals who create such.
3. The vastly improved quality of ingredients used.

In your opinion what do you think will be the next big thing, food wise?
Anything but restaurants with no reservation policies please.



QUICK FIRE ROUND

Favourite tipple
Gin and tonic. Make mine a No. 3 or a Miller’s Westbourne Strength. Served in a rocks glass, lots of
ice, no lime, no lemon.

Favourite restaurant
It really depends on what mood I’m in but my dependable favourites are The Rib Room at The
Carlton Tower, Chabrot in Knightsbridge, Ziani in Chelsea and

Nigella or Delia
Given that Delia swears a little much and Nigella needs a little less throttling in her life right now, it’ll
have to be Nigella.

Museli or fry up
Fry up. The best one in London is served at Arthur’s Café in Dalston.

KFC or Burger King
I can admit I occasionally have a McDonalds burger with a glass of Chablis. I haven’t been to a KFC or
Burger King for years.

Gin or Vodka
Gin, of course.

Wine or beer
A beer is a good first drink but generally wine.

Food Villain
Food: Delia Smith jointly with Gordon Ramsay.
Drink: Sir Cliff Richard and his ghastly plonk.

Food Hero
Jack O’Shea.

Favourite sweet
I’m not really into sweets but I do enjoy Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding very much.

Favourite flavour of ice cream
Vanilla. I especially like Jude’s.

Favourite ever food advert 
Hovis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S4tFzuFGUOI#at=17

And finally your top tip for cooking.
Everything’s in the prep.

Samantha Brick spills the French beans

Samantha Brick

Writer

Name

Samantha Brick

Occupation

Writer

What would you like to plug

My Memoir 'Head Over Heels in France: Falling in Love in the Lot' is out now.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Head-Over-Heels-France-Falling/dp/184953392X

Name your three dessert island ingredients

Garlic, butter, onions

What would I find in your fridge that I might find odd?

I store face cream in there…!

Food stuffs that you would put in room 101

Ready meals – there is just no excuse.  

What would you like to have for your last supper?

A Balti curry from one of the little Balti Indian restaurants in my home town of Birmingham.

What cook book do you use the most?

Not a cookbook as such, but in France where I live there’s a wonderfully engaging TV chef called Carinne Teyssandier. She’s not ‘French woman skinny’ either. She cooks on the morning television show and specials such as the Tour de France. She always uses seasonal produce, what she cooks appears dead easy - she’s very inspiring!

Your favourite spice is …..

Fresh chilli

Best dinner party guests and what would you cook them?

My four sisters and I’d cook them steak frites

What was your tea time treat as a child?

Crumpets – yum!

What was the first thing you learnt to cook?

Fairy cakes

And what was the first thing you taught your children to cook?

I taught my teenage stepson to make walnut and banana cake.

What was your mother’s signature dish, and do you try to copy it?

Spag Bol – I now have my own version of it.

What dish gets you out of a tricky situation with your partner?

Cottage Pie – he adores it!

What would you say was your most memorable meal?

My wedding meal in a French village. Two sheep were roasted on a specially erected spit. All of my British guests said it was the best thing they’d ever tasted. It was a wonderful mix of French and Brits diners –I think the hangovers were worth it as everyone still talks about it 5 years later!

And what would be your biggest disaster?

When I was younger there was one restaurant (very trendy, very expensive) I would go to with an ex – every time we went there we argued. I’m convinced there were bad vibes there!

What do you wish you had never eaten, but had to?

Wild boar organs at my first hunt meal. I was obliged to attend as my husband hunts, I was compelled also to eat each course. That was a night I spent heaving in the loos that I won’t forget.

What do you consider to be the Best of British?

Fish and chips! Oh how I miss them living in France…

What do you think are the best and worst things about London restaurants?

The best is the sheer variety – as a student I used to eat at Pollo Bar in Soho in Central London, it was fantastic to be able to eat out well and affordably. The worst? I’m not really into fussy, highfalutin restaurants where I can’t relax –ambience is really important.

  

In your opinion what do you think will be the next big thing, food wise?

Back-to-basics: those classic traditional dishes. There is a staggering lack of understanding about cuts of meat, seasonal vegetables, herbs and spices and what they can each be used for. There will be a retro, romanticism about it too.

QUICK FIRE ROUND

Favourite tipple

Rosé wine (from Colliure)

Favourite restaurant

Auberge de la Place, Cazals, Lot, France

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1897504-d1897505-Reviews-Auberge_De_La_Place-Cazals_Lot_Midi_Pyrenees.html

Nigella or Delia

Delia

Museli or fry up

Can I have both? Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day.

KFC or Burger King

Neither – eurgh…

Gin or Vodka

Gin

Wine or beer

Wine

Butter or Marg

Butter every time (who on earth uses marg???)

Food Villain

Celebrity Chefs. They make things more complicated than they need to be. 

 

Food Hero

My husband. He (painstakingly) taught me to cook French cuisine –specialising in the south-west traditional dishes.

Favourite pudding

Crème Brulee

Favourite flavour of ice cream

Chocolate

And finally your top tip for cooking.

Simmer! Use the smallest amount of flame under most food to get the best flavour and result. It's the best way to cook most things - unless it's a steak of course...

 

Bloggerview with Martin Constable

Name Martin Constable

Occupation Retired

What would you like to plug The kitchen sink

Name your three dessert island ingredients Olive oil, Garlic, tomatoes

What would I find in your fridge that I might find odd? Patum Pepperum

Food stuffs that you would put in room 101 Sausage meat made from mechanically recovered meat

What would you like to have for your last supper? Tournedo Rossini

What cook book do you use the most? Jamie Oliver

Your favourite spice is ….. cinnamon

What was your tea time treat as a child? “College Tea” – poached egg on baked beans, on toast

What was the first thing you learnt to cook? Boeuf Bourguignon

And what was the first thing you taught your children to cook? Chicken korma

What was your mother’s signature dish, and do you try to copy it? Boeuf Bourguignon; yes

What dish gets you out of a tricky situation with your partner? Nothing!!!

What would you say was your most memorable meal? Memorable not best, spaghetti in Venice

And what would be your biggest disaster? Not sure

What do you wish you had never eaten, but had to? Slugs in Japan

What do you consider to be the Best of British? Beef

What do you think are the best and worst things about London restaurants? Variety, noise

In your opinion what do you think will be the next big thing, food wise? I have no time for food fads

QUICK FIRE ROUND

Favourite tipple Bloody Mary

Favourite restaurant Zanelli’s in Uzes http://www.uzes-tourisme.com/restaurant-le-zanelli/uzes/tabid/18566/offreid/23805540-c2b4-4d62-a1e0-f2024847fee8/detail.aspx

Nigella or Delia Neither

Museli or fry up. Fry up

KFC or Burger King Burger King

Gin or Vodka Vodka

Wine or beer Wine

Food Villain The Food Network channel – vulgar!

Food Hero  Simon Hopkinson

And finally your top tip for cooking Turn the oven on

Bloggerview with Rose-Marie

The incomparable Rose-Marie

Name and Occupation ?
Rose-Marie   Irish Songstress and actress. 

 What would you like to plug?My new album “ Songs For my Mother “http://www.rose-marie.tv/ and my concert on the 21rst of March at the Leicester Square Theatre. http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126521998/events

Name your three desert island ingredients“Dear god I only came out to buy a pint of milk and a loaf of bread, and now I am on a desert Island. Well It would have to be ice  water, green tea, and banana’s."

Your best cooking tip. Put Soya sauce on your cheese on toast, first red onions on the toast mature cheddar then Soya sauce, it’s a treat.

Which seasonal ingredient do you look forward to the most?
Irish potatoes Dublin’s Queens. Not because I  know and love so many queens , but they are flowery and make great mash.

What is your favourite snack?
Atkins chocolate bar and a cup of green tea, on record. But off it I am a bad girl can not wait to get my hands on the  Haagen-Daz and in particular the one with the chocolate bits.

What would you have for your last supper?
Fish and chips and great big Gherkin, why? You’re not planning on killing me off yet

What foodstuff would you banish to room 101?
Pineapple and Tapioca,, the nuns used to give to us at school, still makes me sick to my stomach,thinking about it.

What's your favourite restaurant?
Zilli Fish, its home from home and Zilli treats me like I was family. 36-40 Brewer Street, Soho, London, W1F 9TA, Tel: 0207 7348649

What's your favourite tipple?
Champagne it always makes a girl feel special.

Which book gets you cooking?
Jamie Oliver “Great British Cook Book” just love his wee recipes http://amzn.to/zTMQ40

What comfort food comforts you when you are sick?
Irish stew, mammy always made with Guinness and it reminds me of home.

Kitchen implement you can't do with out.
Hand Whizzer, great for my blueberry smoothies and mixing stews.

What's your dream dinner party line-up?
June  Brown( EastEnders) she has been a friend for years and love her.,
Frank Carson he was like a second father to me and I miss him dearly.
Marc Bolan , my teenage idol .
Vicki Michelle “Allo Aloo” such a fun lady,and great pal and any of my family members.
And what would you cook for them?
Chicken stroganoff, mushy peas; load mashed potatoes and gallons of champagne.

What is your favourite cooking aroma ?
Curry, just love the smell, rarely have one though.
What was your childhood teatime treat?
Topic chocolate bar, mammy would often give us kids a piece each after dinner, just loved it.

What was the first thing you learnt to cook?
Pan cakes, I am good Catholic girl but I do not just make them on Shrove Tuesday.

What was your mother’s signature dish and do you try to copy it?
Fish she would dip it in flower and egg,then she would shallow fry it. My Mammy a much better cook than me i try but never comes out the same.

What would you make to impress your partner?
Bacon, cabbage, mash- potatoes. I like to make homely food for a man.
 Where do you go for the best fish and chips?Langan’s in Mayfair , I always have fish and chips when I go there. http://www.langansrestaurants.co.uk/

What’s your most memorable meal ?
Oh the curry at the ‘Star of India” rarely have them that’s why it’s a treat . http://www.starofindia.eu/

What was your biggest culinary disaster?
I had five friends over for dinner fish was on the menu, I can never do it like my mother but I try. So busy talking and having a jar, next thing the smell of burnt fish came through , glad they liked omelets

What's the worst meal you've ever had?
Beef Strognoff when I first came to London, it was what put me off red meat for life all that fat on it. Won’t say where.

What's the most outlandish thing you've ever eaten?The lobster Dim Sum at Yauatcha , for a wee Irish girl the price would have made my mammy faint, for four little pieces. Nearly asked the waiter “When is the rest coming” it was so tasty though. http://www.yauatcha.com/

Who's your food hero/food villain?
Aldo Zilli  a man you want to have live in your kitchen.
Villian “If you can not say anything nice do not say anything at all."

Nigella or Delia?
Nigella she is my type of girl and relate to her a little more

Gin or Vodka?
Neither!  Champagne all the way do not do spirits.

Muesli or fry-up?
Tesco ‘s Wheat free porridge, fills you up and does not make you feel blotted

Wine or beer?I have the old glass of Guinness, but it would have to be sparkling white wine., nothing to sweet Sainsburys taste the difference do a nice Prosecco.

KFC or Burger King?
A Girl has to eat , and I do like the odd KFC,.

What do you consider the best of the best of British?
With out a doubt pub Sunday Lunch you cannot beat roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding and  nice chicken.
 What do you think will be the next big thing?Time to bring back dinner Cabaret like “Talk of the Town” Makes a lovely night out, they where  big and I have a feeling there is a demand for them again, but make it with great food.

What would you do if you could choose any other career?
Fashion designer just love all the youngsters clothing these days. Glamour is my middle name.

Make a wish
To wake up and turn on the news and there be peace every where.

Bloggerview with Simon Part.

Mr Simon Part

What would you like to plug?

My own company and all related media. Part and Company /www.partandcompany.com / twitter.com/#/partandcompany

Name your three desert island ingredients 

Shallots, butter and chilli

Your best cooking tip.

You can always add salt but you can’t take it out 

Which seasonal ingredient do you look forward to the most?

I really look forward to the Game season as some of the best British cooking I like are Grouse, Pigeon, Partridge and Mallard

What is your favourite snack?

A sausage roll or a Scotch Egg

What would you have for your last supper? 

Naturally 4 courses as it would be a last supper so Lobster linguine, Roast Chicken and all the classic trimmings, a good cheese board and a soufflé with fruit and a sorbet or milk ice cream

What foodstuff would you banish to room 101?

Liquorice

What's your favourite restaurant?

A really tricky one as I have favorites for different reasons  but Maître D’albert (Paris) La Chapelle , Trinity and Tsunami for Japanese

What's your favourite tipple? 

Guinness

Which book gets you cooking?

Hawksmoor, Galvin’s, Adam Byatt and Simon Hopkinson’s

What comfort food comforts you when you are sick?

Shepherds pie with peas and ketchup

Kitchen implement you can't do with out.

The trusty Tomato Knife

What's your dream dinner party line-up? 

Peter Osgood, Denzel Washington, Nigella Lawson, Eva Mendez, Corben and King, Ruth Rogers and Rose Grey, Jose Mourinho, Stephen Fry

And what would you cook for them?

Potted Shrimps with Pickled Cucumber, Crab linguine, Chateaubriand with Artichokes, Pear and Almond Tart.

What is your favourite cooking aroma?

Roast meats / Proper BBQ / Hot Garlic Butter and shellfish

What was your childhood teatime treat?

Tunnocks Tea Cakes and Hot Ribena mmmm

What was the first thing you learnt to cook?

My fathers leftovers soup (Sort of Italian Minestrone) but made with all the fantastic Garden grown vegetables and fridge leftovers

What was the first thing you taught your children to cook? 

I don’t have any as yet but there will be Butchery and Fish prep on a Saturday morning so that they know where food comes from and how to respect ingredients. Then it will be onto bread making

What was your mother’s signature dish and do you try to copy it?

Braised Mince in the oven with boiled potatoes and Carrots. It’s actually Granny’s recipe and there is no point in trying to copy it as you won’t even come close.

What would you make to impress your partner?

A Croquenbouche. I hope she would be suitably impressed

Where do you go for the best fish and chips?

Brady’s

Old York Road

http://www.bradysfish.co.uk/  Luke is an amazing host and the simple fresh fish menu is always spot on

What was your most memorable meal?

La Dome in Paris as it was a fantastic dinner and it was our engagement dinner so very memorable on all counts.

What was your biggest culinary disaster?

Making Italian meringues as a commis and them splitting 5 times as the thermometer was broken (that was my excuse and I am sticking to it)

What's the worst meal you've ever had?

It has to be the Bierodrome awful food , awful service and off Lobster 3 times in a row for their Steak and Lobster festival

What's the most outlandish thing you've ever eaten?

A still beating Cobra Heart straight out and into a shot of a weird spirit

Who's your food hero/food villain?

Hero: The Roux family and Gary Rhodes

Villain: Anthony Warrell Thompson (Pardon the pun)

Nigella or Delia?

Nigella everytime. Pain au Chocolat and Caramel pudding with that Black Satin Dressing gown!! Need I say more?

Gin or Vodka?

Vodka

Muesli or fry-up?

Fry Up but Grilled …Best of British produce no variance on the Traditional

Wine or beer?

Beer to start and then move to the Wine

KFC or Burger King?

Tricky but as there are better burger’s out there and I have had more late night liaisons with a bucket it would have to be KFC. Finger lickin good

What do you consider the best of the best of British?

The Mini Cooper, Barbour Jackets, Bombadier Bitter Scotch Eggs and The Union Jack

What's the best/worst thing about the British restaurant scene?

The best is the diversity and the constant evolution of the industry and styles of operation and cuisine.

The worst thing is operators with too much money and no idea who like the idea and romanticism of owning a hotel, restaurant, members club or bar. As well as badly worded and over complex menu writing.

What do you think will be the next big thing?

We have had the TV Chef now its Steak houses, British revival’s and NY influenced sites. So it’s difficult to say but I think people will be more about simple and value. So possible a variation on The Great British Pub making a come back so more independent great pubs with good honest local food.

What would you do if you could choose any other career?

I would have loved to be a professional Sportsman and as of now a Golfer. The travel, competition and lifestyle is one I think I could handle yet would be another testing pressured career

Make a wish

Just have, but am not telling you as it won’t come true otherwise……

Bloggerview with Josa Young, where she spills the beans

Josa Young

Name and occupation

Josa Young, writer and internet content consultant

What would you like to plug?

My first novel, One Apple Tasted (www.oneappletasted.co.uk) - the next one, Sail Upon the Land, is finished but as yet unpublished.

Name your three desert island ingredients 

Garlic, Provencal herbs, tomatoes

Your best cooking tip.

If you start off by sauteing an onion, you will end up with a meal even if you have no idea where you are going next with this.

Which seasonal ingredient do you look forward to the most?

Asparagus

What is your favourite snack?

Don't snack on principle

What would you have for your last supper? 

Asparagus with hollandaise; Dover sole; creme caramel

What foodstuff would you banish to room 101?

Anything that weird orangish-yellow colour that indicates it has been deep fried (see thisiswhyyouarefat.com)

What's your favourite restaurant?

http://www.whitstableoystercompany.com/ 

What's your favourite tipple? 

Veuve Clicquot

Which book gets you cooking ?

Constance Spry

What comfort food comforts you when you are sick?

Heinz tomato soup

Kitchen implement you can't do with out.

Magimix

What's your dream dinner party line-up? 

Old old friends - their value is more than anything or anyone else to me

And what would you cook for them?

Vichyssoise, osso bucco with gremolata, pear and frangipane tart

What is your favourite cooking aroma ?

Fresh lemon zest

What was your childhood teatime treat?

Victoria sponge sandwich

What was the first thing you learnt to cook?

A version of Victoria sponge, only it failed to rise and was like a manhole cover

What was the first thing you taught your children to cook? 

Each child something different - included chicken satay with peanut sauce. The youngest is currently making many jellies from scratch with sheet gelatine and fresh juice in a brain jelly mould (he is 11)

What was your mothers signature dish and do you try to copy it?

Chicken in a delicious cream sauce with mushroom - with her own vegetables she grew - and no, I have never really tried to do it myself. Perhaps I should.

What would you make to impress your partner?

I would cook almost anything that was home made and fresh - as that seems to be the most impressive thing in these days of ready meals and other horrors. If he brought round some caviar, I would make proper buckwheat blinis, raised with yeast and provide the sour cream, chopped egg, chives and lemons.

Where do you go for the best fish and chips?

Yorkshire - fried in dripping

What was your most memorable meal?

A buffet at the Arc de Triomphe horse race in Paris in 1991. Unbelievable food.

What was your biggest culinary disaster?

Exploding cake - used too big a mould and it burst hot uncooked cake mix all over the kitchen (just before a child's birthday party)

What's the worst meal you've ever had?

Sea slug - I was in Hong Kong writing about food, and it was one of the dishes I was offered. Like warm wet rough wool blanket served with lashings of HP sauce. Revolting.

What's the most outlandish thing you've ever eaten?

Peacock - out in the wilds of Rajasthan, staying with a thakur (local landlord) I expressed an interest in trying peacock. He sent a servant to knock one off a branch. Rather tough, it need to hang for a few days.

Who's your food hero/food villain?

Hero? Isabella Beeton - young, brave, independent and doomed.

Villain? Whoever it was in the food processing industry that managed to infiltrate the department of education and remove domestic science and food and nutrition from the curriculum sometimes between 1977 and 1999. This led to generations being taught 'food technology' (how to assemble a pizza) instead of the basics of cooking and hygiene.

Nigella or Delia?

Delia - I do use some Nigella recipes, but feel that they are often far too high in fat

Gin or Vodka?

Gin 

Muesli or fry-up?

A good muesli with freshly grated apple, fresh walnuts and good yoghurt is hard to beat

Wine or beer?

Wine 

KFC or Burger King?

If absolutely forced, I would eat the coleslaw in KFC (last did so about 30 years ago)

What do you consider the best of the best of British?

Well hung beef with freshly grated horseradish mixed with cream

What's the best/worst thing about the British restaurant scene?

Best thing is that it is SO much better than when I was young - you can actually get a decent meal in many different places now - particularly liked the gastropub trend when it came in the 1990s. 

Worst is that the British public as a whole still accept mass produced food masquerading at home cooked in many many places throughout the UK that are pulling off a con because they know the British are still pretty ignorant, and their palates have been corrupted by ready meals laden with salt and sugar.

What do you think will be the next big thing?

Dessert restaurants - I haven't got a sweet tooth myself, but plenty of people do. All kinds of pop ups, particularly in people's homes.

What would you do if you could choose any other career?

I only ever wanted to be a writer - and I have earned my living all these years writing, even if sometimes it was strap lines for ads, brochure copy or complaints procedures for ISPs. I would just like to write novels please and see the next one, Sail Upon the Land, published.