On Saturday evening I decided to try something different. I
attended a supper club. The concept is simple; a person (who ideally likes
cooking), turns their house into a private dining venue for as many people as
they can squeeze round the table. Diners purchase tickets online and then are
sent the invitation and menu. The supper club scene has been around for a
while, but it has become much more popular and well known in the last few years
as people can advertise and engage on social media.
I attended the supper club with my friend Lindsay. She knew
the chef from her chalet-girl days so we thought it was a sensible choice for
our first experience as we knew it wasn’t secretly a drug den or something. We
arrived at our destination, just off Bermondsey Street, feeling a bit nervous
as we didn’t know quite what to expect. Chris, our chef for the evening, greeted
us at the door and we immediately felt more relaxed as he was so welcoming. Chris trained as a chef in Birmingham after leaving school and gained recognition
competing in technical cookery competitions. He further perfected his skills in
various ski resorts across Europe, cooking for wealthy clients. The theme for
the evening was ‘Alpine’; inspired by his time in the mountains. Chris usually
cooks with his friend Alex, and together they call themselves ‘The Pickled
Fork’.
After the initial introductions with the other diners, we
were served our Rye soup with a baked Cox Apple centre and Wood Sorrel
seasoning, fresh from a woodland in Wales. There was also a baked camembert,
which made an excellent side dish. The flavour was very unusual but delicate
and tasty, everyone had a clean plate.
The main course consisted of Garlic infused potato waffle on
a bed of caramelised onions, with a pork loin and a Reblochon cheese fondue.
When I think of potato waffles, I immediately remember the stodgy frozen ones from
Iceland that are a key part of any student diet. Chris's waffles didn’t even
come close to Iceland’s. He informed me that the master piece was created by making
batter similar to that of Gnocchi and then poring this into his waffle maker
(purchased that morning)! The results were epic. It really didn’t taste of
potato, more like crispy savoury waffle bread. And with the fondue, I was in
cheese heaven. It’s safe to say that I had a very large second helping with
fondue drizzled on top. I think I would have gone in for round three, but as we
were with company, I had to be polite… You can’t make new friends if you’ve
passed out from too much cheese.
The best thing about attending a supperclub is the element
of the unknown. It was really fun to get to know the other people around the
table, who all had a shared interest in food. Chris created a well-thought out
and delicious menu from start to finish, which we all enjoyed. The fact that we
were sitting around the table in his living room also gave the evening a
special and intimate feel. It’s so different from being in a restaurant,
because it’s a one-off evening, it feels quite unique. I would highly recommend
attending a supper club if you enjoy the sociable aspect of food. I learnt lots
of interesting things about waffle making, cheese, sorrel and Italian alcohol
in the company of some great people, so I think it was an evening well spent.
(It cost £25 in case you were wondering).
If you would like to attend a supper club, you can view them
on the following website:
There are other clubs and websites around, but this is the
one I know of.
Two particular food experiences which I would recommend as a
starting point would be:
1.
Parkholme
Supperclub – raising money for MSF and cooking exciting food. The owners are really friendly and have a
great blog too. http://www.parkholmesupperclub.co.uk/
2.
The Back
Door Kitchen – They describe themselves as a ‘secret foodie extravaganza’.
The owner, Rob, was at The Pickled Fork dinner and he highly recommends his own
supper club…. It does sound good so I will have to take his word for it.
