Food
A three Michelin-starred chef has
transformed Apsleys restaurant at
The Lanesborough hotel.
Hotel serves
German-born Heinz Beck, 45, won
the stars for his Rome restaurant La
Pergola. He cooked for the G8 wives
up Heinz
during the summit and was praised by
Michelle Obama and Sarah Brown.
Apsleys is his first restaurant outside
Italy.
Beck describes his cooking as “light
cuisine of Mediterranean flavours”.
For starters try the seabass cannolo
with celery and melon, or choose
from pasta dishes like rabbit ravioli
with asparagus and pistachio or
gnocchi with shellfish broth. For the
main course, choose slow-braised veal
cheek with apple purée or black cod
with chickpeas. The selection of
desserts includes banana soufflé.
A three-course lunch costs £26 per
person, while dinner is about £45
each excluding wine. If you’re feeling
especially decadent, choose the seven-
course tasting menu priced at £75 per
head.
To book, call 020 7259 5599.
Bubbly regains its fizz
Champagne sales are fizzing up during the recession and feel
again, according to Waitrose. they deserve a treat to cheer
The supermarket, which has a themselves up amid all the
We believe in cod
branch on Motcomb Street, doom and gloom.”
reported a 7.5 per cent rise in The way we eat now is The economy might have taken a battering, but sales of fish and
sales of bubbly since this time reflected in other trends chips went up last year. At the Friars Inn on Elizabeth Street, which
last year. Sparkling wine has spotted by the supermarket. locals say serves “the best fish and chips in Belgravia”, it’s as busy
also become a tipple of choice, Thermos flasks and tupperware as ever.
with sales almost two thirds are flying off the shelves, Osman Ismael has been serving fish and chips for almost half a
higher than a year ago. indicating more people are century, but it’s still his favourite food. “I eat fish and chips at least
According to Waitrose buyer making their own coffee and once a week. It makes you more intelligent,” he laughs.
Dee Blackstone, the sound of taking packed lunches to work His takeaway shop and restaurant, the Friars Inn, is no ordinary
corks popping is a good instead of buying ready-made chippy. “The fish I buy – I call it Harrods quality, because it’s the
measure of the state of the sandwiches. best,” he says. Fresh fish is delivered from Billingsgate Market
economy. “Champagne sales Entertaining at home is also every other day and cod, haddock, sea bass, salmon, dover sole and
are a key barometer in the signs on the rise. Frozen party food skate are all on the menu.
of economic recovery and it and ready-made starter sales The chips are hand-cut every morning in the spotless, stainless
seems the fizz is starting to are up 25 per cent and cooking steel kitchen by two members of staff. They turn between eight
come back into the market,” utensils and kitchen gadgets and 15 bags of potatoes weighing 55lbs each into chips, which
she said. have enjoyed a surge in takes about one and a half hours. “You can get a machine that will
“People have been watching popularity. do it in ten minutes but it cuts the chips into tiny sizes so they
their budgets a little more Waitrose also found that don’t taste as good,” says Osman.
keenly of late and, as a result, sharing desserts are up 34 per “My wife says I’m a workaholic,” he admits. “But I’m very proud
sparkling wines have really cent and cheesecake 44 per of my shop. I came to London from Turkey in 1961 with just a few
grown in popularity. We believe cent. There’s nothing like a pounds in my pocket.” Osman opened his first fish and chip shop
that many of our customers are sweet treat to take your mind
celebrating at home more off these troubled times.
Our girl Nuala Calvi (right) gets
into the spirit with Boisdale’s
Barbara Widera
Forks only just don’t cut it
When research found dinner forks were that don’t require cutlery. When they get
outselling knives by three times at London home they grab something from the fridge.
branches of Debenhams, it begged a number The sit-down family meal is dying out and it
of questions. Are we becoming more signifies a breakdown in society. If families
Americanised in our eating? Is it bad don’t communicate, the children won’t have
manners to dine using only a fork? any guidance and they’ll move apart.”
There was only one person to call: Back to table manners, I wonder: when
etiquette expert Liz Brewer. “At a seated you’ve finished your lamb chops, is it
luncheon or dinner you must use a knife and acceptable to scoop up all the mint sauce
fork,” said the impeccably mannered and gravy? “Very good restaurants will supply
Belgravia resident. “For first course just a you with a spoon to eat all the sauce at the
fork is fine, as long as the food doesn’t need end,” says Liz. “But it all depends where you
cutting. But you don’t want to shovel your are. There’s nothing wrong with using bread
food around on the plate – it causes to mop up the sauce, just not at a formal
offence and it can look vulgar.” dinner.” Emboldened slightly, I venture:
The cut in knife sales is “What about picking up the plate and
symptomatic of larger slurping off the gravy?” Liz shoots me a
issues, says Liz. “Kids horrified look – you could’ve cut the air with
eat packed lunches a fork. “That is always a no.”
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