Great British Menu: Chris Holland – The Alderley Restaurant

Since discovering that the chefs representing the North West on this year’s Great British Menu were Aiden Byrne, Aumbry’s Mary-Ellen McTague and Chris Holland, I was especially excited to watch.

Firstly, I was glad that each of the chefs actually live and work in the North West as this has not always been the case. The fact that I have eaten in each of their restaurants on more than one occasion and know their food well also added interest.

With Mary-Ellen’s and Aiden’s illustrious Michelin starred backgrounds, Chris Holland was perhaps always going to be considered the underdog.

In my opinion, Phil Howard, the two Michelin starred chef / proprietor of The Square in London, made an excellent judge. I felt his comments were fair and his criticisms were always constructive. His scoring too, generally seemed bang on.

This brings me to my main point - as I watched, my twitter feed was buzzing with people sat at home agreeing and disagreeing with Phil’s and the judges’ scores. This begs the question, how can people pass judgment (as I did too) when they haven’t even tasted the food? (I’ll get to this in a moment.)

This can also lead to a bigger question: What qualifies a food blogger or restaurant critic to pass judgment on a chef’s food? Even when they (we) have eaten it!

Just last week on twitter I saw a fairly well respected chef questioning a food critic about this very subject; saying something along the lines of  ‘What qualifies you as a so called food critic? Have you been a chef? Do you cook every day?’ In this case, the ‘so called’ food critic had worked in professional kitchens and does indeed cook regularly at home.

Personally, although I feel I am a fairly competent cook, I eat out far too much to claim that I cook ‘regularly’ and I have never been a chef. So what qualifies me to make the comments that I do in my blogs? In short… absolutely nothing!

Phil Howard’s former employer, Marco Pierre White, famously handed back his three Michelin stars, saying of the guide’s inspectors, “I was tired of being judged by people who had less knowledge than me.”

When it comes to cooking, I certainly have less technical knowledge than most (if not all) the chefs on whom I pass judgment. But isn’t this just the way of the world?

Doesn’t every footie fan sit in their armchair or stand on the terraces shouting ‘advice’ at professional footballers? Likewise, everyone who watches programmes such as the X-Factor suddenly become music moguls with the voices of angels. Many people will also confidently tell you that Tracey Emin’s bed is not ‘art’.

Art is obviously highly subjective and sport stars are subject to changes in ‘form’. Despite differences in tastes, music is perhaps easier to ‘judge’ because of the mechanics of pitch and what is ‘in tune’ - so you don’t have to have to be able to sing to be able to judge musical talent (i.e. Simon Cowell and Tulisa!).

Like music, when it comes to food people have different preferences and palates but there is also a set of generally accepted criteria about what are agreeable flavour combinations (which some chefs like to challenge.)

At the end of the day, whether I am qualified to judge or not, like footie fans or people viewing art… I’m going to do it anyway!

(In my defence, I like to think I have a decent palate and a reasonable knowledge of different foods and ingredients and many ‘benchmarks for quality’ and ‘experience’ from eating in a myriad of ‘top’ restaurants.)

What follows are descriptions of Chris Holland’s Great British Menu dishes (complete with my unqualified judgements), which are currently being served at The Alderley Restaurant.

On the show, Chris served Phil Howard ‘An oriental broth with a twist’ which featured a ‘technically challenging beef stock jelly’ and noodle dish, in the guise of a chocolate bar. Phil Howard liked the concept but felt there were temperature issues and gave it 6 points.

On the Alderley menu, Chris has replaced this dish with ‘A Breakfast to Start’ that features a slow cooked free range egg, Jamón Ibérico, beans and toasted soldiers. The flavours were bold with great textures and, Mr Howard, it was nice and hot! On taste alone I’d happily award this dish an 8 but I’m not convinced it nailed the brief so I think a 7 is more apt. 

‘Gone Fishing’ was a dish that impressed on TV. With its quirky ‘fish pond’ presentation, cured and smoked salmon, apple pickle, horseradish and toasted beigel, Phil gave it 8 points.

The humous comes from ‘Bertie Bass’ the fisherman (as mine was called) casting his rod into a smoky ‘pond’ and dish based on the idea of a ‘deconstructed’ smoked salmon and cream cheese beigel.

The most fun of the edible parts of the dish came in the form of a Beigel shaped savoury horseradish ice cream. This I felt worked really well adding an underlying heat that was punctuated by the delightfully smoked salmon, sweet and tart apple components and heavenly Ebène caviar.

Phil gave it 8 points, questioning the sweetness of the ice cream. I don’t know if Chris addressed this but I’d also happily give it an 8.

‘Pork and Pineapple with a Smiley Face’ whilst it didn’t split my sides, when this dish was placed in front of me it did manage to illicit a wry smile. I loved the pork elements: belly, fillet and scratchings and the rib meat contained within the smiley face. The blue cheese, sage crisps and charred brassicas were also very good.

Apple sauce is the perhaps the most commonly accepted accompaniment with pork but I’m not a fan of its sweetness. The pineapple gel, jelly and dice took this a step further wand was not to my taste. Phil scored this dish a 7. If the pineapple was toned down, I’d agree but with the sweetness intact, it’s a 6 from me.

The ‘Refresher Course’ of a lime espuma with lychee granita and popping candy was not a part of the Great British Menu but as a refreshing palate cleanser (and nothing to do with the brief) I’d award it an 8. 

The ‘Brie and Toffee Apple’ “cheese course” was another that wasn’t featured on the GBM show.  The whipped Wigmore cheese and apple aspect of the dish was great but I didn’t like the red nose toffee apple with it at all – sticking a red nose on something does not make it funny… we are reminded of this each year when Lenny Henry wears one. 5.

Bananas are not one of my favourite fruits but I loved Chris’ ‘Going Bananas’ dish. I thought it looked the (monkey) business and the flavours had great synergy with the banana, chocolate brownie, peanuts and rum flavours. There is also something intrinsically funny about a banana.

The ‘banana’ itself was made from a creamy white chocolate parfait and the ‘skin’ from a banana flavoured sugar candy. Mary Ellen said, “There’s nothing really wrong with any of it but there’s nothing that makes you go wow either.” Whilst I agree that there will perhaps be other deserts on Great British Menu this year that offer a bigger ‘wow factor’, I really enjoyed eating Chris’ dessert. Phil gave it a 6. I’d give it an 8.

Judgements aside, the main thing to remember that Chris Holland is a great chef serving some excellent food (Cheshire Life’s NW Chef of the Year, 2012) and the Alderley Restaurant is a wonderful venue with three AA rosettes. You could go at any time of the year but why not go soon for the Great British Menu? It’s for a great cause… 10% of the menu’s cost goes to Comic Relief!

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Aiden Byrne's Great British Menu – North West Regional Heat

Since series one in 2006, Great British Menu has grown into the TV highlight of the year for many a foodie fan, myself included.

Many people on twitter have been hailing the North West’s regional heat between Aiden Byrne (who has previously held a Michelin star), Johnnie Mountain and Simon Rogan (whose restaurant currently holds one Michelin star) as the most exciting of the series so far.

This year’s competition has been particularly special to me as I am no stranger to Aiden's and Simon's food. Over the last year or so I have been lucky enough to have dined in their restaurants on several occasions. Their styles may wildly differ but they are both undeniably exceptional chefs – I for one, am proud to have had them representing the North West.

Early on in the week, drama ensued when Johnnie Mountain theatrically quit in a torrent of abuse after earning a score of 2 out of 10 for his ‘fish’ dish, which was ‘heavily inspired’ by Heston’s Sound of the Sea (albeit minus the seafood, conch shell, iPod and originality.)

At times this week, the debacle surrounding the ‘fishless fish dish’ took much of the limelight and discussion away from the fact that the quality of Aiden’s and Simon’s understanding of the brief, cooking and passion has been exemplary.

Simon Rogan
Whilst I don’t want to appear as if I am writing off Heston’s or anyone else’s restaurants, I believe, Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume is, the most exciting restaurant in the country. After visiting the farm and having eaten in three of Simon’s ‘restaurants’ in the last twelve months: Rogan and Co (see here), L’Enclume (here) on a couple of occasions and the Aulis Research & Development Kitchen (here), I share in Simon's and his team’s vision and am excited not just by the food they serve now but also the direction they are taking.

Aiden Byrne
Since returning to the North West after successful stints in restaurants such as Adlards in Norwich, The Commons in Dublin and the London based Pied à Terre, Tom Aikens and The Grill at The Dorchester, Aiden has run The Church Green gastropub in Lymm near Manchester with his partner Sarah.

The Church Green has three AA Rosettes but has never been the right venue to fully showcase Aiden’s Michelin style food and aspirations. The food there though is some of the best you will find in the North West; in that last few months I have been fortunate enough to enjoy their ‘tasting menu’ (see here), the much applauded Inka grilled burgers (here) as well as a meal at Aiden Byrne’s British Grill at Craxton Wood (here).

The Food
Last week, I also managed to get along to The Church Green to sample Aiden’s ‘Great British Menu’ created to fulfill the ‘GastrOlympics’ brief. As judge Matthew Fort explains, chefs have been asked to get out of their ‘culinary comfort zone’; push the ‘bounds of gastronomy’; beat their ‘personal best’ and be ‘faster, bigger, higher, better, more brilliant than ever before.’

Although Simon was the overall victor, Aiden went into the judge’s chamber ahead on points – quite an achievement against a chef of Simon’s standing and familiarity with the ‘technical gadgetry’ - the chefs had been challenged to source extraordinary ingredients and use ‘molecular gastronomy’ methods including: spherifications, liquid gels, thermomixes, liquid nitrogen, water baths, centrifuges and desiccators.

When I ate the meal at The Church Green I told Aiden I’d put a post together and offer my take on the menu. Of course, next to a professional of Marcus Wareing’s standing, knowledge and knowhow, I understand my opinions count for little.

Terrine of foie gras and black cherry with ginger and palm sugar

Marcus Wareing’s score: 8

Hungry Hoss score: 8

I’ve scored this dish an eight for the reason that whilst each element of the dish was worthy of a ten, it didn’t quite come together for me. Individually, I loved the foie gras terrine cherry glaze; poached cherries; sorbet; jelly; foie gras and palm sugar mousse and wonderful pan-fried gingerbread.

Overall there was a little too much sweetness on the plate to warrant full marks from me. I agree with the judges that this dish world work well as a dessert. To hit full marks as a starter, I’d have preferred the port, red wine and spice flavours to have come through a little more.

Beetroot poached salmon with caviar, razor clam, fennel and beetroot

Marcus Wareing’s score: 10

Hungry Hoss score: 9

Described by Prue as ‘picture perfect’ and by Marcus as perfect though his score of ten I do feel to be a little harsh ‘only’ giving a nine. The reason for the deduction of a point from an otherwise perfect dish was for the fennel “sand” that sat under the razor shell, which I found stuck to the roof of my mouth a little.

Aside from the stunning presentation, the ‘perfect’ aspect of the dish for me was the technical precision in the cooking of the fish. The beetroot poached salmon, with its Ebène caviar centre was exceptional and to die for.

The citrus, beetroot and seafood salad with more caviar and salmon roe was just beautiful in both appearance and taste – the razor clam was as fresh and tenderly cooked as any I’ve had.

Veal fillet with peas, ham, truffle and rosemary

Marcus Wareing’s score: 8

Hungry Hoss score: 9

On paper this dish did not sound so good; the word ‘larded’ is never appetising. On the plate too, visually the ham fat batons threaded through the centre of the rose veal (piquer) did not float my boat. Taste wise however, this dish really came together for me - the ham fat and searing in rosemary butter adding a heartiness that made this the best veal I have ever eaten.

I read some comments where people have knocked the pea spherifications but I welcomed the variation in texture – on the practice day they were described by Simon as ‘floppy’ but the ones served to me in The Church Green were wonderful. Aiden has obviously perfected this ‘new technique’ since filming.

Ultimately it was the pea and ham fricassee and truffle in that rich, indulgent stock and butter emulsion that elevated this dish to a nine for me.

Orange and olive oil cake with cardamom ice cream and candied celery

Marcus Wareing’s score: 8

Hungry Hoss score: 9

It took me a couple of attempts to fully ‘get’ this dish. When I first tried it on The Church Green tasting menu I loved its ‘immense’ flavour but was not wowed by the overall appearance (see here). Watching Aiden prepare the dish on TV however, I now have a great appreciation of the technical difficulty of the cannelloni and appreciation of the clean lines that Matthew Fort described as having an, ‘Air of Zen like tranquility.’

The use of the olive oil, candied celery and cardamom in the dessert will also be new to most - I’ve looked back over some of the desserts I’ve eaten over the last few months including in some of Paris’ best restaurant and have struggled to find a dessert that I’d be as happy to eat again as this one.

The result

All in all, I loved Aiden’s menu but if it had to be beaten then at least it was by Simon, another chef whose food I love. At the end of the day the real winner is the North West region for producing the best heat of the show so far! Good luck Simon for the rest of the competition. 

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Pierre Gagnaire, Paris

Not that I have ever been asked, but if I was ever asked to name three grey bearded wizards, I’d probably say Dumbledore, Gandalf and Gagnaire.

The word “wizard” gets bandied about a lot these days when talking about chefs, especially the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Grant Achatz, Ferran Adrià and, of course, Pierre Gagnaire. The creations of these virtuoso chefs are typically influenced by ‘molecular gastronomy’ - a term that was coined by Gagnaire’s long time associate, the inspirational French chemist Hervé This.

‘Foods To Try Before You Die’ came up with an interesting mathematical method for ‘How to choose a three-star Michelin restaurant in Paris’ (see here) – whilst I find this an informative and interesting read, for me, there was only ever one choice.

Of course, I had heard the name before but from seeing him on series two of Great British Menu at the ‘Ambassadors Dinner’ in the British Embassy in Paris and again, in series three, at London's Gherkin for ‘The Banquet’ hosted by Heston to celebrate the best of British, it appeared to me that even amongst the world’s culinary elite that there was a magical aura around Gagnaire that the other chefs seemed to respect – a true legend.

It was these ‘GBM’ appearances that prompted our visit(s) to Gagnaire’s London outpost Sketch last year (see here), which in turn made our desire to visit his eponymous three-Michelin-starred Parisian flagship restaurant even stronger – despite recently slipping to number sixteen, the fact that Gagnaire has ranked amongst the top three in the world on the Restaurant Magazine’s 50 Best restaurants list and appears in Les Grandes Tables du Monde also helped cement the deal.

When telling people that I planned to eat at Gagnaire there were two main responses: one being, that when 'on form' the food could be peerless but to expect some dishes to be 'a bit strange' (strange has never bothered me). The most common response however was usually, 'Do you know how much that is gonna cost?'

The cost was certainly an issue and being able to justify possibly spending close to £600 on a meal for two (before drinks) was not a decision I took lightly. To date, my number one restaurant experience remains Heston's The Fat Duck - for the money we would spend at Gagnaire we could have gone back there twice!

People advised us to forget the three star biggies and check out a number of two or one star places instead (and even some un-starred trendy spots around town) – this is very good advice and at one point I gave in and crossed Gagnaire off the list.

Not for long though, as those 'You only live once' 'Life is for living' 'I could be hit by a bus tomorrow' moments helped it to creep back on. Too much “umming” and “ahhing”? What the heck… booked! (As if there was ever any doubt.)

So the simple question: 'Was it worth it? Simple answer… 'Oh, yes!'

We arrived to be confronted with a grand set of doors emblazoned with the Gagnaire ‘table’ logo. I’ve read a few reviews that have criticised the décor – personally I loved the modern styling in warm brown graduations with big bold art works and flower arrangements.

Extraordinarily innovative and progressive food would perhaps not seem as right in a typically French 3-star dining room based on Louis the ‘whatever’ old school Parisian grandeur.

As a blogger, thinking thoughts about how the lighting will affect the photographs is a downside - the ‘City of Love and Lights’ however, came up trumps with lamps providing just enough light for decent enough pictures (in most cases) without detracting from the atmospheric candle-lit glow befitting a romantic meal.

Gagnaire's restaurants, including Sketch and Gaya have a tendency to present several small tasters together, especially evident with the amuse bouche and desserts. As an eater this is exciting as every course makes you feel like a kid in a sweet shop, not knowing what to try first. As a blogger it's a nightmare trying to remember all the explanations from the waiter - especially when there is likely to be some unusual sourcing or pairing of ingredients.

According to fellow three-star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, "The amuse-bouche is the best way for a great chef to express his big ideas in small bites." Obviously someone with lots of big ideas, in my mind, Gagnaire is the amuse bouche master:

One consisted of a fresh tropical tasting salad featuring a small dice of heart of palm and grape. Another saw a squid ink biscuit sat atop a thimble sized pot containing a tapenade-like concoction of black olive, carrot and tandoori spices. There was also blackberry set between white meringue; a ginger and almond biscuit adorned with a beetroot wafer; and anchovy cream with rocket and a tiny toadstool made from a nut.

The bread offering consisted of: the same delightful little brioche that we had enjoyed earlier in the day at Gaya (see here); a crispy 'traditional bread' that had exceptional flavour and chestnut breads – these were tasty but strangely they appeared to be a little burnt around the edges (obviously by design).

Accompanying the usual 'salted butter' we were also presented with a 'citrus butter' that contained lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit – I was not convinced by the citrus offering, you had to be selective as to what courses it would complement.

Crémeux d’araignée de mer, consommé d’omiza au ginseng; tourteau, petits coquillages et cristes marines – consisting of a cocktail of crab meats, including spider crab and two different sizes of clam set over a ginseng infused jelly made with omiza (see Korean omija tea) and a samphire like plant. My wife loved this dish; it was her favourite of the evening.

Lac Léman: mousseline de brochet au savagnin, grenouilles façon Poulette; flan d’ortie aux herbes fraîches. Tranche d’omble-chevalier voilée de lard de Colonnata, légumes racines de printemps au macvin – this dish came in three parts, one, accompanied by root vegetables, starred the Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) Pike; a great tasting sustainable freshwater fish, it’s a shame you don’t see it more often on UK menus.

One thing also rarely seen on UK menu are frog’s legs as many British diners, including my wife, are squeamish when it comes to amputated amphibians – as a result I got to eat two portions of these delicious ‘chickeny’ bites. The leg meat was served off the bone with rich creamy savoury custard. There was also a grassy, herb and nettle salad and mousse.

Carabineros au curry doux Madras, pointe de citron caviar et piquillos; fondue de pamplemousse rosé, avocat et radis croquants;
velouté de brebis - Carabinero prawns are famed for their deep red hue and more robust flavour; which thankfully came through with a marriage of Madras spices, avocado, piquillo pepper, dinky slices of radish and the citrusy tang of pink grapefruits and bursts of lemon ‘caviar’. A luscious creamy ewe’s milk velouté was spooned over at the table.

Foie gras de canard Dundee-Pinky, huîtres spéciales au gingembre frais;
 sorbet tamarillo et bouquet de champignons de Paris aux pousses d’épinard. Marmelade de betterave rouge – another dish with lots of flavours, all seemingly balanced with a wave of Gagnaire’s wand: duck foie gras, oysters, fresh ginger, tamarillo sorbet, spinach, sesame, red cabbage and beetroot marmalade, topped with discs of white Paris mushroom. The tamarillo sorbet was a revelation.

Poulpe, sériole, tripes de morue et piments de Guernica à la manzanilla; cœur de thon de Méditerranée (issu de la pêche raisonnée),
artichauts poivrades, aubergine et anchois demi sel – this one of my favourite dishes, featuring: artichoke, aubergine, sweet sherry soaked Guernica pepper, fish (cod and amberjack) with octopus and a sashimi slither of what translates as ‘heart of tuna’ (which I think refers to the cut of the ‘bonito’ fillet as opposed to the actual heart.

Crème d’asperge à la cardamome, raviole de cresson; asperges vertes et blanches, chou cœur de bœuf, mange-tout et mangue thaï – white asparagus is one of my all time favourite vegetables and these were the best I have had. The pasta for the watercress ravioli was also exceptional. (I was less convinced by the presence of the Thai mango purée.)

Also on the plate: green asparagus, ‘chou cœur de bœuf’ (or beef heart cabbage) and mangetout. Finishing the dish, a cardamom infused asparagus cream sauce was theatrically spooned on at the table.

La Corse:
Fricassée de cabri poivre vert/vadouvan/miel du désert des Agriates; galette de châtaigne: tricandille, olives noires et cornes d' abondance – this dish featured a number of ingredients that are not often seen on British plates: ‘cornes d' abondance’ are black chanterelle mushrooms that are also known as black trumpet or trumpet of death; ‘tricandille’ or chitterlings are intestines and ‘vadouvan’ is French variant on a masala like spice mix, popularised in their colonial territories in India.

Along with the above ingredients, the main component of goat had also been stewed with green pepper, honey and black olives; topped with leaf shaped chestnut biscuits and surrounded by vibrant peaks of a radicchio emulsion – the dish tasted great but did seem quite autumnal, considering we were tasting the brand new spring menu.

The cheese course was an interesting one, Trois fromages fermiers au lait de vache:
Vieux gruyère de Garde - Coup de corne - Morbier.
Pâte de coing à l’alisier, pousses de soja au vinaigre de riz. Gelée de gentiane aux perles de chocolat blanc – the three cheeses: an aged gruyère, a morbier and, a new one on me, ‘coup de corne’ were all delightful.

The white chocolate and bean sprouts added a pleasing, yet different dimension. However, the gentian jelly was incredibly bitter and tasted very medicinal, even when tempered by the fresh yoghurt - it just didn't work for me.

Les desserts Pierre Gagnaire – a feast of flavours and techniques to tantalise the taste buds. The miniature works of art included such delights as: a ‘macaron’ with orange and orange gelée; coffee jelly with coffee meringues and lime sorbet; a disc of sponge topped with pear, caramelised almonds and ice cream drizzled with a balsamic caramel and strawberries with coconut textures and ‘bubblegum’ ice-cream.

My favourite of the desserts consisted of a clever dark chocolate concoction with cherries, dates and hazelnut - creatively prepared and beautifully presented. In a playful twist, what looked like one of the discs of white mushroom from earlier turned out to be a sweet sugary marzipan type creation.

To finish the meal, a well prepared green tea presented in fine Limoges porcelain by JL Coquet. Service throughout was faultless.

At the beginning of this post I referred to Monsieur Gagnaire as a culinary wizard – unlike Dumbledore and Gandalf, his enchanting food proves that magic does exist.

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