Her experience plus the fact that this was their third supper club allowed her and Coleman to remain calm, as they and a handful of paid staff, served up a gorgeous banquet to a crowd of mostly female diners.
On the guest list were David Josephs and Kamil Demir of delicatessen, Panzer’s and greengrocery store, Clifton Greens , who had sponsored the evening. It was Josephs' cured salmon recipe (which uses gin, juniper berries, coriander seeds, lime zest, demerara sugar and salt) was used for the starter salmon. That was passed around the table on large plates together with platters of caramelised figs and radicchio dottted with dark, fat blackberries. Sharing platters are bang on trend and a gift for the caterer. No fussing with individual plates and you can get it all out to the tables in a flash.
Rye bread accompanied the salmon as well as a very festive fig challah made by Goldmith’s mum or at least to her recipe — I was too busy salivating over the meal to come when Coleman and Goldsmith explained it to us.
The sweet theme continued into the main course — a platter of meltingly tender, slow-cooked, pomegranate lamb on a pile of bulgur wheat mixed with caramelised onions, dill, mint, parsley, pistachios, toasted almonds and lemon juice. On the side, a rainbow of beautiful, roasted whole carrots plus green beans scattered with balsamic glazed onions. A stylist’s dream and just as good to eat.
The finale was a circle of olive oil, chocolate almond cake, topped with a scoop of zingy, mouth-watering apple sorbet, dusted with smashed up honeycomb and (a genius idea) toasted honey cake crumbs. If you ever had a honey cake disaster — haven’t we all — you could blitz it up and toast the crumbs to scatter over ice cream or just about anything.
Goldsmith and I must be on the same culinary page, as I’ve also developed an apple sorbet this year. It’s the perfect antidote to a rich meal.
I’d had to scoot off before the petits fours —tiny chocolate meringues — but I’m not sure I could have squeezed another mouthful in.
Not only was the food amazing, but the table design was one to take away and try at home. Red cloths, primary-coloured candlesticks, generous vases of flowers and trails of mini branches of crab apples from florist Achillea. Water was served in small bottle-like carafes filled with lengths of cucumber and mint. Autumn had come to the table. Menus were printed on plain brown paper byHarrington and Squires and Coleman personally scribed the place cards. Simple and elegant.
I'll definitely be clubbing again.
