TRADITIONAL WELSH RECIPES; CUCUMBER SAUCE FOR SEA TROUT

British sea trout from Welsh waters, known as sewin, are said to be the best in the world and well in to their season during high summer. This traditional Welsh recipe for cucumber sauce is a wonderful summery accompaniment for sewin and makes unusual use of some common ingredients such as lettuce and cucumber. Made using the same process as a roux, yet backwards with a thickening agent called beurre manie, the sauce is a savoury blend of chicken stock, cream, butter and tarragon. Beurre manie is a useful little trick to keep up your culinary sleeve. Equal parts of butter and flour are mixed together and whisked into boiling liquids as a thickening agent. It gives far more finesse than cornflour and is great for adding a little body to a sauce without the heft of a full on roux.

Ingredients for Welsh cucumber sauce

1 cucumber, peeled and finely diced

1 onion, finely diced

2 little gems, shredded

300 ml chicken stock

300 ml double cream

30g butter

1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped

Pinch sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tsp beurre manie

To make Welsh cucumber sauce

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and slowly cook the onion and cucumber with a pinch of salt, just until soft and translucent. Add the lettuce, then the stock, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. At this point you can blitz the sauce in a blender or experiment with leaving it whole. Add the cream, heat until almost boiling and then whisk in the beurre manie until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the tarragon and check your seasoning before serving hot with poached sewin

MOD CLOTHES

the tipperary fleet street

The Tipperary is a quaint, narrow, old (it celebrated its 400th birthday a short while ago) pub, with a rather welcoming wood-panelled interior, impressive mirrors and a fine shamrock design mosaic floor. If you're interested in the pub's provenance, there's a handy history of the pub on the wall outside. There's another room with a bar upstairs, but even with this, the place is so narrow it's mostly standing room only - which actually adds to the charm and authenticity. Naturally, as you'd expect with a pub called the Tipperary, there's plenty of good Guinness on tap, unpretentious food is served all day and a jolly time is to be had by all. Open on Saturdays and Sundays too - here's to the next 400!

bourne and hollingsworth

The decor at this Fitzrovia cocktail bar is just about as twee as you can get - think floral wallpaper, frilly bowed-empire lampshades, lace tablecloths and doilies quaint enough to send grannies into quite a fluster. There's a china cup on each table too, just to reinforce the point.

The drinks list brings things firmly into the present, though. Expect creative concoctions like the Chimps Tea - a mix of Monkey Shoulder, peach liqueur, Earl Grey tea syrup and orange zest. A solitary Asahi tap caters to lager drinkers.

the dove smallest pub in london

1. The Rake

This Borough Market gem claims to be the smallest pub in London, but it’s a fiercely contested title – the Swan & Edgar in Marylebone and the Cask & Glass in Victoria are among the others vying for the honour. The Rake is a hophead’s idea of heaven: this is a pub that has more beers than people (its capacity is about 40, but it has 130 bottled beers in the fridge). 14a Winchester Walk, SE1 9AG.London Bridge.

2. The Dove

‘Guinness World Records’ says The Dove has the smallest bar room in the world, though there is a patio and another larger room. A few famous patrons have squeezed in here: the riverside alehouse was a favourite of literary heroes like Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway. And further back, Charles II explored its nooks and crannies

great suit

SEAFOOD risotto

ingr

I litre of stock
ideally shell fish stock but can be chicken or fish
2 pinches of saffron
2 pinches of salt
2 banana shallots finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chooped
400 g camaroli rice
250ml white wine
100g butter
100g finely grated parmesan cheese
chopped tarragon parsley chervil
200g clams
200g cockles
200g mussels
250 gr brown shrimps

three saucepans
one to heat stock
one to cook risotto
one to steam the shell fish

bring stock saffron salt to boil
in another pan sweat the shallots and garlic in olive oil until cooked and colourless
once done add rice heat until slightly translucent
add wine reduce until no liquid
add stock , ladle per ladle , ladle only after previous ladle is absorbed, you will need 15 mins
once cooked turn off heat
now heat your third pan and once hot add shellfish apart from shrimps .cover and steam until open.once cooked pass the shellfish through a fine sieve making sure to keep the cooking liquid

add parmesan, butter ,herbs to risotto and stir
once melted add the cooking liquid from the shellfish
cover and allow to rest for 3 minutes

while this is resting pick out the sheellfish and add it (along with shrimps) to the risotto and stir .season to taste

shard

If there is a a word to describe this restaurant for me it is spectacular. This restaurant is located on level 35 of the Shard in London. It is part of the Shangri-La luxury hotel which is located in the tallest building in Western Europe. The restaurant has to bring out food that can compete with the amazing views of London. This means that the chef Marcus Klumb really has to think outside the box when it comes to the food. As part of London Luxury Week, we were able to get a table at TING and experience its food, here is my review.

TING Restaurant At The Shard

I love it when I am eating at a restaurant and a chef comes to greet me personally. Chef Marcus Klumb from Germany  gave us a real detailed account about the core philosophy of TING restaurant, that he is allowed to experiment and be creative with the food. This is fabulous because what we are about to share is an experience of fine dining and food he really has created as his very own. The restaurant presents a modern European menu with a hint of Asian flavours, created using the finest local market and regionally sourced produce.

Marcus Klumb The Chef

Named after the Chinese word for ‘living room’, TING is the collective name for the restaurant and lounge, it is situated 128 metres above ground level, the vibrant space showcases sweeping 360-degree views across St Paul’s Cathedral, The City of London, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and other famous landmarks. The video below shows our TING experience as part of Day 4 of London Luxury Week.

Supports London Borough Market

The chefs work very closely with the market suppliers to get the best food possible within season. I like that because TING supports the local economy. Another added bonus is you can have your own private experience with the chef. Which involves you going to the Borough market with the chef and choosing what you would like them to cook. There is a private table where you can enjoy the meal from the unique cooking experience.

Britagne English Sparkling Wine

I wrote an article recently about Champagne versus Cava and what is trending for breakfast. So we decided to try the Britagne, an English Sparkling Wine pronounced Brit~an~ye, as a starting drink. To me the bottle looks like a Champagne replica and I was intrigued to taste the results. It is very soft on the pallet and very drinkable. A must try with such a view like this and considering where you are situated. I loved the Britagne that much I also had it for breakfast.

Each wine has its own glass.

My Food Experience

For me if you can afford the finer things in life it is not about quantity but it is about the quality and the thought process that comes with what you are eating and drinking at TING.
Special Dish Created For The First Time for MenStyleFashion

Pre Entree

Chef Marcus created a first for MenStyleFashion, the red cabbage consume and in his own words it is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. And for me it was so unique to my pallet and I have to say I loved it.

Red Cabbage Consomme

Entree

Risotto TING style

Hand Dived Scallops

Dorset Crab

Main Course

Wild Fallow Venison

Wild Fallow Venison

Beef Short Rib

John Dory

John Dory

Creamy Mash Potato Sauteed Winter Vegetables

Beef Short Rib

stuart davis

Stuart Davis (December 7, 1892–June 24, 1964), was an early American modernist painter. He was well known for his jazz-influenced, proto pop art paintings of the 1940s and 1950s, bold, brash, and colorful, as well as his Ashcan School pictures in the early years of the 20th century. With the belief that his work could influence the sociopolitical environment of America, Davis’ political message was apparent in all of his pieces from the most abstract to the clearest.^[1] Contrary to most modernist artists, Davis was aware of his political objectives and allegiances and did not waver in loyalty via artwork during the course of his career.^[2] By the 1930s, Davis was already a famous American painter, but that did not save him from feeling the negative affects of the Great Depression. No one was exempt from the effects of the Great Depression and led to Stuart Davis being one of the first artists to apply for the Federal Art Project. Under the project, Davis created some seemingly Marxist works; however, Davis was too much of an independent person and thinker to fully support Marxist ideals and philosophies.^[2] Despite several works that appear to be nondemocratic or push Marxist views, Davis’ roots in American optimism is apparent throughout his lifetime
Stuart Davis was born on December 7, 1892, in Philadelphia to Edward Wyatt Davis, art editor of the Philadelphia Press, and Helen Stuart Davis, sculptor.^[3] Starting in 1909, Davis begun his formal art training under Robert Henri, the leader of the Ashcan School, at the Robert Henri School of Art in New York under 1912.^[3][4] During this time, Davis befriended painters John Sloan, Glenn Coleman and Henry Glintenkamp.^[5]

In 1913, Davis was one of the youngest painters to exhibit in the Armory Show, where he displayed five watercolor paintings in the Ashcan school style.^[6][7] In the show, Davis was exposed to the works of a number of artists including Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. Davis became a committed "modern" artist and a major exponent of cubism and modernism in America.^[6] He spent summers painting in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and made painting trips to Havana in 1918 and New Mexico in 1923.^[6]

In the 1920s he began his development into his mature style; painting abstract still lifes and landscapes. His use of contemporary subject matter such as cigarette packages and spark plug advertisements suggests a proto-Pop art element to his work.^[8]

In 1928, he visited Paris, France, where he painted street scenes. In the 1930s, he became increasingly politically engaged; according to Cécile Whiting, Davis' goal was to "reconcile abstract art with Marxism and modern industrial society".^[6] In 1934 he joined the Artists' Union; he was later elected its President.^[6] In 1936 the American Artists' Congress elected him National Secretary. He painted murals for Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration that are influenced by his love of jazz.^[6]

In 1938 Davis married Roselle Springer and spent his late life teaching at the New York School for Social Research and at Yale University.^[3]

He was represented by Edith Gregor Halpert at the Downtown Gallery in New York City.

Davis died of a stroke in New York on June 24, 1964, aged 71.

Davis’ interactions with European modernist works in 1913 had a significant impact on his growth as an artist. The realist Robert Henri had trained Davis to paint in a realist fashion since Davis’ youth, however Davis’ excursion with European modernist caused him to raise the modernist flag instead. Stuart Davis did not switch to modernism out of spite for Henri, but rather out of appreciation for the many forms of art that exist. The love and adoption of European modernism morphed into political and social isolationism that was a staple of American in the 1920s and 1930s. Davis never joined an art group during the 1920s and became the sole author of Cubism which used abstract colors and shapes to show various dynamics of the American cultural and political environment. From 1915 to 1919, Davis spent summers in Massachusetts where his art work had intense color pallets paired with simple designs, trademarks of several artists that Davis admired at the Armory Show.^[2] The early 1920s saw many American artist abandon modern art, but Davis continued to try to discover ways to implement his knowledge of shapes and colors into his art work. By the end of the 1920s, Davis was done more work and research into Cubism and its various levels of sophistication than any other American artist at the time.^[2] During the 1930s and 1940s, Davis attempted to make is work with Cubism altered and more original. While working on several murals for the Federal Art Project, Davis tried to find alternatives to traditional Cubist structure. The emergence of Abstract Expressionism in the 1940s made some question whether Davis was still the greatest modernist in the country, however, this test did not shake his resolve as he continued to develop his own painting style.

Davis was first professionally trained by Robert Henri, who was an American realist. Henri began teaching Davis in 1909. Henri did not look highly upon American art institutions at the time, which led to him joining John Sloan and six other anti-institutional artists (known as “the Eight”) to put on an exhibit at the Macbeth Gallery in 1908. Through his vocal rejection of academic norms in painting, Henri encouraged Davis and his other students to find new forms and ways to express their art and to draw on their daily lives for inspiration.

Davis was born during the Progressive Era, a time when America had a growing sense of optimism about itself as a nation through its technologies and management in the material and social realm. Through this, Davis had a great sense of pride in being American and led to him creating several works centered around a “Great America.” After his training from Henri, Davis would walk around the streets of New York City for inspiration for his works. His time amongst the public caused him to develop a strong social conscience which was strengthened through his friendship with John Sloan, another anti-institutional artist. Additionally, Davis frequented the 1913 Armory Show (in which he exhibited his work), to further educate himself on modernism and its evolving trends. Davis acquired an appreciation and knowledge on how to implement the formal and color advancements of European modernism, something Henri did not focus on, to his art.^[2] In 1925, the Société Anonyme put on an exhibit in New York with several pieces by the French artist Fernand Léger. Davis had a large amount of respect for Léger because like Davis, Léger sought the utmost formal clarity in his work. Davis also appreciated Léger’s work for the subject matter: storefronts, billboard and other man-made objects. In the early 1930s after returning from a trip to Europe to visit several art studios, Davis was re-energized in his identity in his specific work. Previously, he saw Europe as a place bursting at the seams with talented artists, but now he felt as if he was of the same caliber if not greater than his European counterparts. According to Davis, his trip “allowed me to observe the enormous vitality of the American atmosphere as compared to Europe and made me regard the necessity of working in New York as a positive advantage.”

“The act of painting is not a duplication of experience, but the extension experience on the plane of formal invention.”

“[Modern art] is a reflection of the positive progressive fact of modern industrial technology.”

“I don't want people to copy Matisse or Picasso, although it is entirely proper to admit their influence. I don't make paintings like theirs. I make paintings like mine.”