Welcome To The First Of The Joiners Food Society JournalsHi, I’m Stephen Fitzpatrick, the chef patron. You’ll probably have seen me mooching round the Joiners. This is the first of our newsletters so let me tell you what the Joiners Food Society is all about.We’ve always been asked lots of questions about how we cook, where we get our food from, and just generally all about food. So we though we’d tell you in a regular newsletter. Plus there’ll be some special offers, events, news about the Joiners, and some snippets of humour (sort of).I hope you enjoy this. Do let me know.

Here’s two of our team without whom life could be a whole lot more difficult.

Tina, head chef Age unknown.I first ran into her when I was sous chef at The Belmont in Leicester 24 years ago and Tina was on work experience in the kitchen!A supremely calm and hard working chef. She’s even calm on a Saturday night service when we’re full to the brim. Her forte and her passion is puddings. She loves to try new recipes and methods. Her organisational skills are what makes it all come together. Doing soufflés and fondants perfectly at the same time requires a lot of co-ordination and attention to timing.Joiners time served 11 years. Loves F1.

Chris , restaurant manager Age - nearly as old as me.

Super smooth Chris keeps the place on track out front, known to wear shoes out in 5 weeks. Chris was originally a chef but loved the interaction with the customers so now he runs front of house. He’s our wine specialist, and is especially fond of New World varieties.Joiners time served 6 years. Passionate about golf.

Let’s introduce you to the team

Newsletter

Stephen Fitzpatrick _

Issue 1 Spring 2013

What’s cooking in the kitchen? – Our recipe sectionTina our unsung head chef has recently enjoyed a rather pleasant day at the Cacao Barry Chocolate Academy in Banbury seeing new methods and recipes from Julie Sharp, the Craft Guild of Chefs pastry chef of the year.She is now embarking on a rather adventurous programme of making chocolates to go with our wonderful new coffee Carrera.

Where do our ideas come from?We can’t reinvent the wheel, but we can put some new spokes in it!

What does this mean?The inspiration for our “Ye Olde Fashion Sweet Shop Selection” in our dessert menu came from head chef Tina’s love of sweets. So we all remember the classic kids’ favourite boiled teeth breakers - like lemon sherbet or pineapple chunks.So Tina went to Amy’s sweet shop in Lutterworth and spent that week’s pocket money and came back with a wide selection to inspire our experiments. Then we went to work. The first few panna cottas didn’t quite go to plan as we added liquorice essence - a poor result. The solution after many aborted attempts was to infuse the milk and cream with soft liquorice - and voila - it’s now an established favourite.You will find the liquorice panna cotta recipe in our next issue.

Tina’s chocolate brownie recipe currently uses Madirofolo chocolate all the way from Madagascar with 65% cocoa solids.By the way coffee Carrera is something you must try – just ask about this.

Ingredients ☐ 185g Unsalted Butter ☐ 185g Dark Chocolate

(65% Coco minimum) ☐ 3 Large Eggs ☐ 275g Light Brown Caster Sugar ☐ 85g Plain Flour ☐ 40g Cocoa Powder ☐ 50g White Chocolate Buttons ☐ 50g Milk Chocolate Buttons

How to cook1. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a large heavy based saucepan.

Allow to cool.2. Whisk eggs & sugar to sabayon, which means whisk to white and fluffy,

leaving a trail. 3. Fold in the chocolate mix.4. Sieve flour & cocoa powder together. Fold into mixture.5. Fold in chocolate buttons.6. Pour into tin lined with parchment.7. Bake in a ready heated oven at 160°C for 25 minutes.8. Allow to cool in the tin.9. Enjoy with some vanilla ice cream and a shot of espresso over.

Tina’s top tips for chocolate brownie successUse good chocolate. Weigh the ingredients precisely.To get the sabayon just right add a tablespoon of hot water just after you’ve started whisking the egg yolks which helps stabilise the sabayon. Fold the mixture in a figure of eight without knocking too much air out.Check the brownie as it cooks but remember it will still continue to cook as it cools. The top should be dried to a paler brown speckle, but the middle should still be dark and dense and gooey.

News from the JoinersWelcome packI hope by now most of you will have received your welcome pack for the Joiners Food Society and your goodies are taking pride of place in the kitchen draw, remember our chefs’ helpline and hotline is available for any of your food related questions.

Chefs’ helplineWe’ve been asked how to make confit pork crackling like we do in the Joiners (salt for 24 hours, confit for 6 hours, press until cold and then pop it back in the oven at 190°C until crisp). Someone asked how to make a decent hollandaise, so it doesn’t split (the trick is to make a sabayon – see Tina’s top tips for the brownie recipe).Please keep the questions coming. Remember you can call at any time on 07989 402 890.

Auberge suppersMost of you I am sure will have enjoyed one of our Auberge suppers by now, but as always we are open to your suggestions for our ever popular Tuesday evenings.

Remember this is our take on a ‘plat du jour’ menu that you’ll find throughout the village inns in France.I will be delighted to put your name to your suggestions for either an individual course or a complete auberge supper. Your suggestions to auberge@thejoinersarms.co.uk please.

Let me tell you a little about our very special champagne selection – Charles GardetThe story of Champagne Gardet began at the end of the 19th Century with Charles Gardet (1870-1913). He was a director of a small winery in Mareuil sur Ay, just south of Reims, which has since disappeared. In 1895, he created his own champagne marque at Dizy and later at Epernay.His son Georges (1895-1952) revived the house during the twenties and moved his cellars to Chigny les Roses in the heart of the Montagne de Reims to facilitate the development of the business.Since then the house has been guided by successive members of the family, following the policy laid down a century ago to respect tradition and take the greatest care in producing top class Cuvees.

How to drink champagne (as if you didn’t know?)Follow the advice of Colette, the French writer (the author of Gigi) and don’t drink your champagne too rapidly. According to Janis Lightner of the Miramonte Winery in Temecula, California, if you drink it too fast you will swallow all the bubbles and they will go into your bloodstream too quickly - which for many of us results in a headache. This can be avoided by taking small sips and letting the bubbles dissipate in your mouth before you swallow.Try it! You will prolong the enjoyment of your champagne, and you’ll feel much better tomorrow!

What’s in season Well the British summertime is now well and truly upon us although the temperatures are not what we would like, I took a trip to see some local lambs born down at the Bakers farm whilst collecting their wonderful free range eggs.I hope the lambs can get to the grass soon enough so we can have some wonderful spring lamb on the menu.April will also see the first of the Jersey Royals, the main outdoor crop is planted from January to April with harvesting usually in April through to the end of June. One of our suppliers Ritter Courivaud keeps us well stocked, look out for them on the menu with some lemon sole or Cornish mackerel.

Chris’ quarterly wineOur new wine list will shortly be upon us, with lots of exciting reds but also some fantastic whites. With summer hopefully just around the corner we’ll add a couple of easy drinking rosé wines. My wine for this spring is a Malbec by Michel Torino of Argentina, distinct in its plum aromas, enhanced by oaky notes. It’s a perfect wine to accompany most red meat and strong cheese. It is well-balanced, soft and easy drinking with a lingering finish. A great wine to go with our slow roasted lamb and chorizo cassoulet.

Very Special Events Just For The Joiners Food SocietyThe Inaugural Joiners Food Society Event.

Thursday June 6th.A champagne dinner – three different glasses of champagne carefully selected by Chris to match a special subtle selection of the very best of modern British cuisine.A four course menu with a champagne to match the food at three of the courses. A Charles Gardet (collection) with a cheeky glass of Crozes Hermitage to go with the main course.

Menu – £59.50 ☐ Vegetable Salad, Goats Curd ☐ Parmesan Gnocchi, Langoustines, Trompettes de la Mort,

Potato Velouté ☐ Herb Crusted Saddle of Leicestershire Lamb, Shallot Purée ☐ Raspberry Soufflé, Bitter Chocolate Ice Cream ☐ Coffee & Tina’s Hand Made Chocolates

Limited places, call Chris now on 0116 247 8258 to reserve your table.We will also be delighted to welcome Alan Whitehead Master of Wine from our wine merchants and with a little bit of luck and persuasion George Gardet himself will be here to give a short talk on their rather special champagne. I sincerely hope you can make it to the first of our food society events and as always space can be a bit limited so please book early.

Word SearchJust a bit of fun.And for the first of The Joiners Food Society journals, there is a bottle of Gardet Brut Champagne to be won for 3 lucky winners.Hand in or post back your correct answers before 5th June. Winners will be drawn randomly out of a hat, notified in writing and names published in our next issue.Bonne chance!

FLUTEBUBBLESGARDETREIMSBRUTROSESABRAGEVINTAGEPINOTNOIR

FERMENTATIONCHARDONNAYMEUNIERCHAMPAGNEMAGNUMJEROBOAMMETHUSELAHSALMANAZARBALTHASARNEBUCHADNEZZAR

Z K I J E R O B O A M R O S E

N T J B A L T H A S A R K E E

Y Q I J R C H A M P A G N E R

M R A Z Z E N D A H C U B E N

E U W H I W M E U N I E R T Y

G M N V S M I E R E N M U D V

A B T G E T U L F T N T V P V

T E U W A O M B U B B L E S Z

N H R N W M U R I O N X O I S

I T B H C Q Y F T O N I P A V

V E N O I T A T N E M R E F W

W D E S K B T E G A R B A S C

D R Q R A Z A N A M L A S I X

C A B Z C H A R D O N N A Y X

V G K T X H A L E S U H T E M

Gary’s gags (our sous chef)“What do you call someone with jelly in one ear and custard in the other?”

“Why did the basil and ginger get thrown in jail?”

“What’s the best cheese to hide a horse?”

A trifle deaf.

Because the lemon grassed.

Mascarpone!

For all reservations, please call 0116 247 8258 or visitwww.thejoinersarms.co.uk

The Joiners © 2013 - All rights reserved.

TJFS/01-2013

The Joiners, Church Walk, Bruntingthorpe, Leic. LE17 5QH