TASTE OF London iscelebrating what isarguably its best

restaurant line-up to date,totaling an impressiveeleven Michelin stars.Scott’s, Le Caprice, Petrus,Skylon, Gauthier Soho andBocca di Lupo/Gelupo arejust a handful of new restau-rants involved for 2011,promising to delight over50,000 visitors across thefour days at London’sRegent’s Park between June16 and 19.

Sitting alongside Taste ofLondon favourites such asLe Gavroche, Rhodes 24,Maze and Benares, a total of40 restaurants will serve updishes from around theworld with classic British,modern European andinfused Asian offerings fromworld class chefs.International talent includ-ing Helena Puolakka(Skylon), Tamas Khan (ORA)and Alexis Gauthier(Gauthier Soho) will be join-ing homegrown householdnames such as Gary Rhodesand Michel Roux Jr.

Small plate menus havebeen specially designed,allowing visitors to tastemore than a handful of dish-es in one sitting. Classicicon dishes will return, fromRhodes’ famous Jaffa CakePudding to Roux’s Lobsterand Truffle Cocktail and willbe put to the test with freshcompetition from ORA’sSticky Rice with Thai HoneyMango and Skylon’s ButterPoached Lobster.

Gauthier Soho’s, AlexisGauthier is looking forwardto joining the strong line-upat this year’s Taste of

London: “The last year, sinceopening Gauthier Soho, hasbeen an incredible journey,so it seems like a fun idea todecamp to Regents Park fora few days this summer forTaste - why not? We’re look-ing forward to the event, tobeing in such good companyand to sharing our food witha host of like-minded foodfanatics.”

Taste of London visitorscan dine from 37 of the capi-tal’s top restaurants, try andbuy from 200 food and drinkproducers, enjoy fine winetasting and watch some ofthe world’s greatest chefsdemonstrate their skills liveon stage.

One hundred and fiftyspeciality food and drinkproducers are expected todelight and inspire 50,000visitors at the event along-side live cooking demonstra-tions and interactive fea-tures sponsored byWaitrose, AEG, MeetJamaica and Peugeot.

New for 2011 is The SecretGarden which will be tuckedaway in an exclusive enclaveof Marylebone Green. Thebeautiful gastronomic oasiswill play host to a line ofworld class chefs includingSilvena Rowe, Gary Rhodes,Michel Roux Jr, Chris Galvin,Theo Randall and JacobKennedy and provide a stagefor the much anticipatedBritish BBQ Championshipswhere 18 of the UKs mostrenowned chefs includingTristan Welch (LauncestonPlace), Paul Merrett (TheVictoria) and Atul Kochhar(Benares) will battle it out onthe coals to impress a line-upof revered food critics.

British Airways is onceagain on board and will beoffering some first classservice at its Exec ClubLounge whilst Masterclasseswith Laurent-Perrier,Estrella and San Pellegrinowill introduce guests to anindulgent tasting experi-ence.

Taste Festivals has set anew benchmark for food anddrink events worldwide. In2011 there will be 14 TasteFestivals across the worldall based on the flagshipevent, Taste of London.Taste of London runs from16th ‹ 19th June in Regent’sPark, London. Tickets areon sale now.

PRE-PURCHASED TICKET

PRICES

• Standard (entry only)£22.00

• Child (entry only) £12.00Premium (entry + £20 of Crowns) £38.00

• VIP (fast track entry +VIP area, glass of cham-pagne & £20 of Crowns)£55.00

• Laurent-PerrierMasterclass (VIP benefits+ entry to one LPMasterclass) £75.00

• Secret Garden Pass:(Secret Garden benefits +canapés, glass of cham-pagne & £20 of Crowns)£95.00

Crowns are the officialTaste of London currencyused to purchase food anddrink consumed at theevent.

THE WEEKLY GLEANER www.jamaica-gleaner.com JUNE 9 - 15, 2011 • 13

Buy Your Tickets at:

www.tastefestivals.com/london

A stellar line-up of restaurant stars announced for

FFIILLEEGuests at a Taste of London event

RESTAURANTS AT TASTE

LONDON 2011

Asia de Cuba - Awana - Barrafina- Benares - Bentley’s - Bocca di

Lupo / Gelupo - Chef Collin Brown -Club Gascon - Corrigan’s Mayfair -

Fino - Fouronine - Gaucho -Gauthier Soho - Kai Mayfair -

Launceston Place - Le Caprice - LeGavroche - L’Anima - L’Etranger -

Maze - Melati - Opera Tavern - ORA- Paramount - Petrus - Quo Vadis -

Refettorio - Rhodes 24 - Roux at TheLandau - Satay House - Scott’s -Skylon - Suka - Tamarind - TheCinnamon Club - The ModernPantry - The Ritz - Yauatcha

- York & Albany

Taste of London 2011

feature

www.jamaica-gleaner.com THE WEEKLY GLEANER14 • JUNE 9 - 15, 2011

IN A bid to complementits indulgent menu ofMichelin starred food,

the UK’s most popularrestaurant festival, Taste ofLondon, announces its firstever Taste Wine Awards.

An official celebration ofits most diverse range ofwines to date the awardswill take place on the eve ofthe festival at the officialpreview night, where chefs,press and celebrities will rubshoulders in London’s

Regent’s Park (WednesdayJune 15). Sponsored byLondon’s premier eating outguide, Blue Tomato, theTaste Wine Awards will be achance for the most cele-brated wines of 2011 to takecentre stage.

Over 75 wines will beassessed and judged in aseries of blind tastingsahead of the event lead byTaste of London’s wineexpert, Neil Philips. Havingworked with the event for a

number of years, Philipsinsists that the time is nowright to celebrate the multi-tude of vinous delights rep-resented at this year’s show.

“The quality and diversityof wine producers exhibitingat Taste of London this yearis unprecedented with pro-ducers like Freixenet,Laurent Perrier, Berberanaand George Duboeuf settingthe bar extremely high.Chapel Down will be flyingthe flag for English wines

with old and new worldwines well representedincluding New Zealand’s St.Clair Family Estate, SouthAfrica’s Beyerskloof, Spain’sChivite and Chateau Civracfrom France.”

THE THREE CATEGORIES

FOR THE TASTE WINE

AWARDS 2011 INCLUDE:

• Taste of Summer WineAward

• The ultimate wine to bedrinking this summer

• Foodies Wine Award• Wines which demonstrate

the structure, flavour andtextural qualities for greatfood-matching

• Indulgence Wine Award• Wines which are luxurious

treat for the palate

The Taste Wine Awardswill be announced alongsidethe annual Best in TasteAwards, where iconic dishesfrom each of the 40 restau-

rants involved for 2011 willbe judged by a panel ofrevered critics, with thewinner announced ahead ofthe show. Last year’s win-ning dish, Pigs Trotters byAdam Byatt of Trinityrestaurant, sold out inrecord time and became themost talked about dish atthe four day festival.

For more informationabout Taste of London visitwwwwww..ttaasstteeffeessttiivvaallss..ccoomm//lloonnddoonn

����������� ������ ������� ��������������������������

�������������� �� ������������� ���� ����������������

ASDA now and in Tesco ����������� �!"

it’s timeto get in somewicked Jamaicanpatties...

and some properCaribbean

food!

call 0208 451 6166�������� ������� � ���@����������� ��"��"������ ���@� ��������������"���"�

launches the Taste of LondonTaste of London

Taste WineAwardsTaste WineAwards

EDWARDJOHNSTON is oneof the co foundersand the MD ofPort RoyalJamaican Patties.He has teamed upwith a high qualitymeal manufacturerChris Gill to createKingstontown authenticJamaican Meals. Thesemeals have been trialed in12 Tescos sinceNovember2010 but willl belaunched into 50 Tescoslater this month. We havealso been listed into 27ASDA’s since May 2011.Meal TitlesJerk Chicken with Rice andPeasOxtail with Rice and PeasCurry Goat with RiceTrinidad Tamarind ChickenTrinidad Coconut ChickenJerk Chicken Wings

EEddwwaarrdd JJoohhnnssttoonn oonntthhee nneeww tthhrruusstt

Why are you seeking tocreate “authenticCaribbean products” ratherthan the “fusion taste”sought by many of yourcompetitors?

E.J “I personally feelvery passionate aboutauthentic food, especiallyauthentic Jamaican food.Fusion dishes can endpleasing no one very easily.Not everyone will like ourauthentic meals but I feelthere is a large market thatwill love it. Many types ofethnic food make conces-sions to the new countryand market they are sup-plying. Chicken TikkaMasala is a classic exam-ple. At Kingstontown weare striving to avoid suchconcessions. I think we willbe the first to supply CurryGoat on the bone to aMajor Multiple and we areextremely proud of this.”

What is different about

your products?“We feel we are re

writing the rulebook when it comesto ready meals. Wecompare ourselves

to a good Jamaicantakeaway in terms oftaste quality andvalue. In fact we

made sure that we offeredmore than the takeawayswe sampled. By offeringour meat on the bone isalso a risky no mans landin terms of supermarketmeals. To be authentic wehave to be on the bonehowever as you can defi-nitely taste and feel the dif-ference. At 450 grams, ourmeals will satisfy thebiggest appetite. We mari-nate our meat two daysbefore cooking which isjust not done by any of thelarge food manufactures. Ithink Bighams, which Ireally respect, is probablythe only manufacturerwhich takes the love andcare with their food as wedo. The Jerk Chicken is asclose as you can come toan open barbecue taste.Due to the strict supermar-ket food standards ourJerk has to be cooked inthe oven but we have per-fected a technique whichmakes it stand out from allother oven baked JerkChicken.

How will someone newto CaribbeanCuisine recog-nize what isauthentic andwhat is not?

I thinkmost peoplewill see thewholespices, meaton the boneand chunks ofvegetables andrecognize that this issomething different. Eventhe titles are as you would

find them in a Jamaicanrestaurant. Curry Goat forexample rather thanCurried Goat or GoatCurry. The non Jamaicantasters we trialed loved thetaste of most if not all ourmeal offerings.

Which herbs & spiceswould you say creates aunique Caribbean taste?

There is a consistent useof Scotch Bonnet Pepper,Thyme, and Allspice alsoknown as Pimento.Coconut also plays a partalong with the usual sus-pects of garlic bay leavesand ginger. All chefs havetheir unique take on thevarious meals so it is quitedifficult getting the univer-sally accepted recipe.

Which of your new prod-ucts will have the biggestimpact on the market andwhy?

Jerk Chicken is by farthe most recognized and iscrossing over to the main-stream market even as wespeak. We feel this mealwith its quality Rice andPeas will be our biggestseller. However the sur-prise has been the CurryGoat followed by Oxtailwhich both taste sensational and will beattractive to curious food-ies everywhere.

ADVERTORIAL

Edward Johnston

Kingstontown Oxtailcooked on the bone

feature

THE WEEKLY GLEANER www.jamaica-gleaner.com JUNE 9 - 15, 2011 • 19

Plantation Inn Caters is your first choice for service

We offer a reliable and competitive catering service beyond the confines of

our delicious Caribbean cuisine.

We offer you quality service while catering to the menu of your choice.

We also offer décor services, from divine floral arrangements to eye

catching ambiance.

Our catering service ranges from small family gatherings to large banquets.

Plantation Inn Caters specialises in:

Finger Buffett • Running Buffet • Silver Service

Banquets • Wedding Menu • Funeral Menu

To get quality service at a competitive rate contact Plantation Inn Caters today at:

Plantation Inn Catering Service351 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 4JT

Tel: 0208 558 5959 • Mobile: 07836710422

Email: george.hamilton@plantation-inn.co.uk

Your choice, we deliver. Just one call will make all the difference

www.plantation-inn.co.uk

Five super chefs join forces to createTHE MENU by Taste of London

THE MENU BY

TASTE OF LONDON

• Laurent-Perrier GrandSiécle Champagne andCanapé Reception

• Essence of HeritageTomatoes By Chris Galvin

• English Asparagus, BlackTruffle Hollandaise andBlack Truffle Za’atar BySilvena Rowe

• Scallops and Squid Ink ByPierre Koffmann

• Braised Beef CheekProvenéale Polenta andOlives By Michel Roux Jr

• Iced Lemon Chiboust withRaspberries By GaryRhodes

ALFRESCO DININGwill be catapulted to aspectacular new level

this summer as five of theworld’s most talented chefsserve up an exclusive din-ing experience at the Tasteof London restaurant festi-val (16 – 19 June atLondon’s Regent’s Park).

Michel Roux Jr, GaryRhodes, Pierre Koffmann,Chris Galvin and SilvenaRowe have collaborated forthe first time under thedirection of Tim Hughes,Chef Director of restaurantgroup Caprice Holdings, tocreate THE MENU by Tasteof London – an ultimate tast-ing menu to reflect London’svibrant restaurant scene.

Topped as the most exclu-sive ticket of the summer, alimited number of guests(400 across four sittings)will be treated to an exqui-site dining experience inthe festival’s new SecretGarden, where they will beserved in a stunning restau-rant-style enclosure. Eachchef will introduce theirindividual course in person,and a top sommelier willpair every dish with thevery finest wines.

Tim Hughes, a veteran onthe London restaurantscene, worked alongsideUrban Caprice and theirExecutive Chef, Steve Gibbsto oversee the creation ofTHE MENU. He initiallycontacted each of the fivechefs about the project inJanuary; “I wanted to workwith five talented peoplewho could bring individual

strengths to the table. Youput together chef heavy-weights like Galvin, Rowe,Koffmann, Roux Jr andRhodes and you’re bound tocome up with somethingexciting, innovative and,above all, delicious.”

SIMPLICITY“My priority was to show-

case the talent of each chef,whilst serving up truly fan-tastic food. The seemingsimplicity of Chris Galvin’sdish (Tomato EssenceConsommé) is a great intro-duction to THE MENU ‹clean, incisive and flawless-ly executed. Silvena’sknowledge of East meetsWest comes through inher choice of ingredi-ents (Sautéed BabyArtichokes, BlackTruffle and TahiniHollandaise) fol-

lowed by Koffmann’s pureand simple masterpiece(Scallops and Squid Ink).

“Michel Roux Jr neverfails to disappoint with hisprecision and innovation(Braised Beef CheekProvenéale, Polenta andOlives) which is made com-plete with an exciting GaryRhodes flourish to finish ona high (Lemon Chiboustwith Raspberries).”

www.jamaica-gleaner.com THE WEEKLY GLEANER • JUNE 9-15, 201120

A collection of recipes which include interesting variationson familiar African Caribbean dishes using traditional ingredients.

Based on popular dishes from across the Caribbean, these recipes have reduced amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt to helpyou eat healthily and live a full and active life.

© British Heart Foundation 2010, registered charity in Englandand Wales (225971) and in Scotland (SC039426).

Once you have ordered the recipe cards you will beautomatically sent out a further two sets of 6 recipe cardsover the next 12 months to complete the collection.

Free Recipe CardsTraditional foods –healthy dishes

BEATING HEART DISEASE TOGETHER

FREERecipe CardsCall 0870 600 6566quoting the code G503