Canape luncheon in Broadway

One family enjoyed our food so much last year they were eager to book us again this year. They chose canapes for the lunch with a barbeque delivery for the evening.

These canapes were cooked and served in the house:

1. Japanese spoons of Scottish lobster, mango and coriander

Lobster was taken along live and cooked on site.

Scottish lobster, as this one is, is by far the best quality, and for peak perfection it has to be cooked live, and cooked just before you serve it. Sometimes when you buy Lobster in a supermarket or have it in a restaurant and feel it is a little 'tough', this is because it has been pre-cooked and kept in the fridge overnight. Supermarkets even freeze them cooked which is sacrilege. At Claridges we always cooked them just before each service for cold salads, or cooked to order for main course dishes, and this is something I still do today.

The lobster is then boiled in very salty water ('it should taste like the sea' our chef always used to say), and this brings out the natural sweetness of the lobster. It only needs 9 - 10 minutes depending on the size. I cooked this one a little longer as I was cooking on an aga, and had used a lot of the heat from the top already.

After cracking the shell, the lobster is washed and cut, then placed in japanese spoons with diced mango, mango coulis and topped with a coriander leaf.

2. Avocado and (cooked) prawn sushi, and vegetable sushi wth wasabi, soy and pickled ginger.

Again, sushi must be made fresh just before you eat. The rice when refrigerated loses its fresh taste and lightness quickly. I rolled this about two hours before serving.


3. Herb rolled goats cheese roulades with homemade green tomato chutney and croutes of beef with rocket and horseradish

































4. Coconut crusted fishcakes with curry mayonnaise



5. Harrissa marinated loin of lamb skewers




6. Goujons of fish with chips served in papercones


Sered with tomato ketchup (what else?), tartare sauce and lemon

7. Japanese spoons of wild mushroom risotto topped with parmesan

For a little extra flavour I add dried porcini mushrooms at the begining which release their flavour as the risotto cooks, then the fresh wild mushrooms at the end, with marscapone, grated parmesan and chopped chives.


8. Scallops wrapped in pancetta

To get the most amazing flavour from scallops you really have to sear them on a high heat. After cooking the risotto I closed both plates of the aga and put the covers on top to build up the heat. The result, as you can see is they browned wonderfully, and the smell was divine.



9. Dark and white chocolate dipped strawberries

These too were done on site to ensure they stayed fresh tasting as possible.