Out & About January 2017

nibbles The team from the Magnolia Brasserie led by head chef Ben Bullen at Faringdon’s Sudbury House Hotel have been awarded 2 AA Rosettes. The Magnolia Brasserie opened its doors in June 2014 and Ben says: “At the Magnolia Brasserie we have a mix of Mediterranean style and classic British dishes on the menu; I like to create

The Nomad Bakery Prospect Street, Caversham www.nomadbakery.co.uk

Home-made sourdough bread toasted and slathered in butter and home-made jam, a seasonal soup that’s gluten-free and vegan but can have added protein, sandwiches like manchego and chorizo and children’s art trays with veg sticks, hummus and healthy snacking – all these have ensured The Nomad Bakery in Caversham has been buzzing since it opened in November. Run by Laura Gonzalez, known in the Reading foodie community as a baker who sold at events and as a supper club cook through Pop-Up Reading, she has finally realised her dream of a combined bakery and café. Of Argentinian origin, one of Laura’s specialities is Argentine pastries – she makes her own brioche pastry and flavours it with the renowned Caversham Jam Lady’s jam and a big selection of those jams, jellies and chutneys sweet and savoury, can be sampled and bought in the bakery. Laura’s bread – from the sourdough called Reading’s Heritage loaf to the seeded rye, focaccia and farmhouse – has literally been flying off the shelves, meaning customers needed to get there early to bag a loaf. She now has a bigger kitchen so the bread baskets on the counters can be replenished often.

“It has been my dream for a long time,” said Laura who gave up her job at Vodafone to open the bakery/café. “After roaming around Reading kitchens for almost three years, we had the opportunity of setting up our base in the heart of Caversham and without doubt we dived in. We just wanted to have a place where everyone feels at home and could have real bread (flour, water and salt without any unnecessary additions), yummy treats and homemade eats worry-free because we make our recipes as allergy-friendly as possible. “Now we are a few months old and we have formed what we call The Nomad Family, which consists of our friends who helped us all the way, the amazing Nomad team and our devoted regulars. “We are eternally grateful to them for helping us in this adventure. “ Nomad niceties: home-made crunchy granola takeaway bags, wi-fi, crafts like ceramics, tapas evenings.

twists on classic flavour combinations using fresh, quality ingredients to give our diners a memorable experience at Sudbury House. “We have a feature woodburner stove and an open plan kitchen in the brasserie, which gives me and my team the opportunity to interact with our guests.” Cold January nights need comfort food, and M&S has given lasagne a new twist by using minced venison instead of beef. Venison is seeing a resurgence as people discover the benefits of the lean and nutritious meat, which is low in fat, high in iron and extremely versatile. Matt Dawson, M&S product developer, says: “We slow-cook the venison with allspice, star anise, port

and red wine, which makes the lasagne meaty, rich and moreish.” Gastropub Venison Lasagne is £4.50 for 400g.

Originally sold as an essential ingredient for making Japanese Katsu Curry,Yutaka’s curry block is fast becoming popular with cooks using the curry blocks like normal stock cubes. They can be used to flavour stews and gravies, as well as made into a sauce to spice up chips, sausages and noodles. For a meat marinade, mix ½ curry stock cube in 2 tbsp of water then add 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine and 1 tsp rice vinegar. Place in a freezer-style bag with the meat of your choice and allow

to marinate for an hour. Yutaka Curry Cubes are available from Sainsbury’s. £2.25RRP

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