Scotch Eggs: The Jugged Hare and The Old Red Cow, City of London

From humble utilitarian bar snack to fully evolved gastro pub status symbol, the recent gentrification of the Scotch egg speaks volumes about our current gastronomic zeitgeist. A bit broke without being totally penniless, the discerning punter now contextualizes the relative expense of their eating and drinking habits. Now, he or she rightly thinks: if it costs more, it should do more. So generic, only vaguely psychoactive piddle of the Carlsberg school has been replaced by potent double IPAs from as far as New Zealand and smoky porters from as close to home as Haggerston. We have come to realise, it seems, that while more bespoke pleasures may cost more, they also tastes twice as good and, crucially, pack twice the punch. 

The same but also the reverse is true of our dining habits: no longer can be regarded as slaves to the sit down meal. Rather, a splash out supper can now comprise a few small plates over some pisco sours at a trendy new joint like Ceviche or, if you’re really ancient, a comparable experience at the relatively geriatric Spuntino. Likewise, for considerably less trendy types like me, it can amount a bit of old school munch at a nice boozer – not the full on sausage and mash treatment so much as that wondrous deep-fried combination of chicken period, sausage meat, and bread crumbs, the Scotch egg. Sure, with some of the better ones approaching £5, it might all seem a bit excessive for a bar snack, but when you consider that Mark Hix would call it a starter, charge close to a tenner for it, and have it served to you by an arrogant turd, you realise that you’re almost approaching the realm of good value.

Because for all our pretensions as foodies - for all our affectations as crusaders of the smoked artichoke - sometimes it still is more about lining the stomach than chasing down the next temple of gastronomic greatness. Until about a year or so ago, I scarcely knew Scotch eggs existed outside of the odd roadside M&S en route to the mysterious territory known as the North. Now, they’re the first thing that cross my mind every time I step into a pub that seems to have an above average air about it. More often than not, I’m disappointed and presented with something that’s about as attractive as a graceless description of its raw ingredients. Occasionally I find myself satisfied, and ever so rarely I’m left wowed. 

The Jugged Hare is one place that elicit the less common response. As you would expect from the ETM Group – also known for the Botanist in Sloane Square and the Prince Arthur in London Fields - the recently opened Hare is a textbook posh pub. The deferential bar staff dress in waist coats and are attractive in a generic kind of way, there are lots of stuffed dead things, and much of the building is given over to full-scale dining. You really wouldn’t fancy your chances of getting served if you wandered in wearing a tracksuit, but it’s not so intimidating that you wouldn’t pop in just for a beer and ales are a real strength. The well-kept selection is focused around London breweries and is served in frosty mugs, a brave move that will no doubt irk traditionalists but one I fully endorse. Inevitably, the pricing is enthusiastic: the handpulls aren't too jawdropping, but bottles, including an excellent house pale ale, are a bit precious for my wallet. Still, so long as you have an ample budget and don't get too worked up by the 'City types' that tend to dominate this part of town, it’s a good spot to get a good beer. 

And a very good bar snack. Crispy skate knobs sound tempting, while chips and gravy seems deliberately out of place on the menu of a City gastropub, but it's really all about the Scotch egg. While the choice of meat filling comes across as knowingly upmarket, there is no question that this venison version is superb. Made fresh – so expect a short wait - it arrives warm, crisp and delicately crunchy on the outside, with rich gamey flavours lurking inside, along with an egg that is crucially still a bit runny. It's big enough to justify it's £4.50 price tag and the accompanying Cumberland sauce is another gutsy decision I thoroughly approve of and a further nod to the more righteous elements of Northern gastronomy. In fact, I would actually venture that it’s a much better partner as hot mustard can be too dominant at times.

Real Ale and Rockin' Blues Festival, Sebright Arms, Bethnal Green

One of the hazards of formally announcing the arrival of Britain’s craft beer revolution is that it puts heaps of pressure on the business and small upstarts in particular. It’s a double-edged sword. Healthy competition and a desire to stand out by way of genuine innovation is obviously a good thing, but there’s also a danger of stagnation: either dozens of Brew Dog clones announcing themselves, or long spells with nothing worth shouting about because potential brewers don’t want to risk paling into comparison to the Scottish mavericks. At present, these are thankfully just minor unfounded fears to bear in mind for the future, as a recent tasting of three new London microbreweries revealed the next wave of the capital’s craft brews to match the quality of their predecessors.

The star of my Saturday afternoon spent drinking – ahem, researching - at last weekend’s Real Ale and Rockin’ Blues Festival at the Sebright Arms near Bethnal Green was undoubtedly the Weird Beard Brew Co’s Single Hop No.7 Summit IPA. Lightly hazy in colour due to the dry hopping process, its subtle nose belied a truly explosive palate: slightly sweet and delicately floral, it was packed with exotic fruit flavours. Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but I was getting serious hits of kiwi and guava from that bad boy. Comparisons are lazy but inevitable: its quality couldn’t help but remind me of some of Kernel’s single hop offerings, but don’t get me wrong, this was no mere knock off. It was as fresh, unique, and vibrant a bottled beer as I have had the pleasure to sup in a long time, and if this effort is anything to judge by, then Weird Beard Brew Co look a good bet to take a seat in Britain’s pantheon of elite craft brewers.

The Rise and Rise of Hackney's Street Food Culture

The unedited version of my article on Hackney street food that appeared in Feburary's print edition of the Hackney Citizen...

From the streets of Cairo to a cathedral in London, 2011 was a year that will be remembered largely for its revolutions and rebellions. Always evolving rapidly, the gastronomic world was not to be left behind. The start of a new year is the classic time to reflect on what has come to pass and what is still to come, and those of us who live life on a fork’s edge have plenty of tasty developments to mull over.

With English wine now more or less an established entity, 2011 became the year of the microbrewery. Scottish-based Brew Dog grab a lot of the headlines – be sure to venture out and check out their new bar in Camden – but closer to home the London Fields Brewery and Redchurch Brewery both bring the pleasures of craft beer to our doorstep. Redchurch’s rich Hoxton Stout is particularly well suited to the grimmer side of the calendar, while the crisp London Fields Lager is one to get us dreaming of sunny days lounging by the lido. It’s a trend that’s likely to continue well into 2012 and beyond.

But for many of us with ever expanding waistlines, 2011 will be most remembered as the year of the mobile food vendor. Street food in less pretentious terms, it’s a movement that can be traced to the beginning of the century and the cult surrounding a car park in Peckham and Yianni Papoustis’ Meatwagon. Last year, the London scene came of age. Of course, there’s a still a fair way to go before we can honestly claim to match somewhere like New York in terms of widespread quality and diversity, but our capital seems to be rapidly rising to the challenge.

Food and Drink Trends for 2012

2011 was the year that London got serious about street food, craft beer became a hipster status symbol, and gourmands swapped oysters and periogold truffles for the pleasures of the humble hamburger. So what dining innovations are on the cards for 2012? Here are five trends for culinary explorers to take note of going forward

Barbeque

Now that the burger has been almost totally re-invented, it’s the turn of another American classic, the BBQ, for a makeover.

A cuisine and tradition in and of itself, BBQ has already found its standard bearer in the U.K.: Pitt Cue Co. started off on the asphalt and recently graduated to a full bricks and mortar operation in Soho.

Most people go for ribs and pulled pork, with the more adventurous fighting over specials like smoked pig’s head.

Everything is washed down with appropriately cheap American lager, or a pickleback – the house special is a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of gherkin brine. Sounds nasty, tastes awesome.

Always at the fore of the UK’s culinary developments, expect quality brisket and bourbon to be flowing freely across London by the end of the year.