Blog Forman and Field

Sitting in the top spot of our catalogue countdown is a restaurant classic that just keeps coming back. Gracing the menu of newly re-opened The Savoy (http://www.the-savoy.com/), Lobster Thermidor originates not from the 1970’s as one could be forgiven in thinking, but from a 19th century restaurant in Paris. A heady and typically French combination of super fresh lobster meat, egg yolks, brandy, cheese and a touch of cream make this a sumptuous dish to savour, the lavish start to the most luxurious of dinner parties.

Lobster Thermidor

Follow with our Beef Wellington, Valhrona Chocolate Parfait, and a selection of Neals Yard Dairy cheese and you’ve got a stellar dinner worthy of any Michelin kitchen. Magnifique!

Never has Christmas gift giving been so simple. Fret ye not over what to get your food loving friends and family this year, Forman & Field have it all sown up. As well as a few firm unchanged favourites, we’ve given some of our hampers a little facelift for Christmas 2010, and many are entirely brand spanking new.

Here are some favourites

The Age of Decadence containing Zwyer Classic Caviar, Nyetimber’s stunning Classic Cuvee sparkling wine and our Genuine Wild Smoked Scottish Salmon, really does what it says on the tin. Utterly luxurious, entirely justifiable. Perfect for your most beloved, couples, or a superb corporate gift.

The Cheese Course Hat Box comes with all a family needs for the perfect cheese course. Creamy-rather-than-crumbly Colston Bassett Stilton, a tangy, fruit-filled chutney, Chapel Down’s delicate Nectar dessert wine and some crisp oatcakes to transport cheese to mouth in style. A good one for dad, Uncle Fred, or the family Doctor who goes over and above.

For your more delicate relations, look to The Afternoon Tea Hamper for all one needs to put together a jolly good spread. With a delectable selection of sweet treats, Elderflower Liqueur, a charming Earl Grey and even Chef Lloyd’s secret scone recipe, all that’s needed is a fine linen table cloth and some old fashioned cucumber sandwiches.

And finally, here’s one to feed the whole family, our Christmas Essentials Hamper, also known as Everything But The Turkey. London Cure Smoked Salmon for breakie, our unbeatable Christmas pud and brandy butter, cheese, L’Artisan du Chocolate truffles, and a boneless Alderton Ham for boxing day. All you need is the Kelly Bronze and that’s the whole shebang sorted.

Another stunning Forman’s restaurant favourite to jump onto the pages of the Forman & Field catalogue.

Vahlrona chocolate has crept recently into to the limelight; previously every chef’s secret weapon, now synonymous throughout the land with quality and flavour. Here our team of in-house chefs craft it into the dreamiest and creamiest of desserts; a deliciously light dark chocolate parfait infused with salted caramel, ready and waiting to be drizzled with our rich white chocolate silk sauce. A match truly made in heaven, which is where you’ll be after the first spoonful.

Simple to serve at home, simply delicious to eat.

This stuff really is quite special. A sustainable caviar with no compromise on taste; eco-credentials as good as the flavour itself.

Finding a reliable and safe supply of Wild Sturgeon has become increasingly difficult, and while stocks have recovered slightly in recent months, the caviar from the Caspian sea is often tainted with mercury and other potentially dangerous nasties.

Enter Zwyer, a Swiss family business who have a revolutionary new way of producing the highest calibre yet sustainable eggs, that truly are the best in terms of taste. They produce ‘wild raised’ caviar – caviar from Sturgeon farmed in Uruguay, in vast open pools within one of the country’s nature reserves. The fish have natural light, and a constant stream of fresh water – clean enough to drink without filtration – which not only helps to exercise the fish, but actively cleans the environment in which they live making for a much better product. The eggs themselves are harvested with utmost care, and preserved in pure fleur de sel for optimum flavour and quality.

A real treat for any connoisseur, even better with Nyetimber Sparkling Wine and Forman’s Wild Smoked Scottish Salmon, handily available to buy as a wonderful hamper; The Age Of Decadence.

The second most popular starter in Forman’s restaurant – after our London Cure Smoked Scottish Salmon since you ask – is chef’s Salmon & Tuna Tataki and it’s not difficult to see why.

Premium sushi-grade fish seared and then rolled in the clean, zippy flavours of coriander, sesame and piquant little pink peppercorns. Elegance of the highest order, and a complete doddle to serve at home. Simply slice into rounds and accompany with the soy and wasabi dipping sauce provided; a taste of Japan made with the finest Forman’s fish. Fabulous.

http://www.formanandfield.com/salmon-tuna-tataki-p-3139.html

We’re delighted to read that two of our favourite Forman & Field producers have been recognized at this year’s OFM awards.

Best UK Food Producer 2010 – Trealy Farm

We’ve been stocking Trealy Farm’s excellent Monmouthshire Air Dried Ham for several years, as well as regular Monthly Specials from their excellent menu. In our opinion there’s nobody in the UK who can touch them on such a broad range of charcuterie, a richly deserving winner.

Watch video of the farm via this link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/video/2010/oct/12/observer-food-monthly-awards-trealy-farm

Best UK Newcomer 2010: Runner Up – Paul Wayne Gregory

And when it comes to chocolate there is no finer than the remarkable Paul Wayne Gregory, patisserie chef turned arch chocolatier and producer of the most exciting chocolates we’ve tried in years. Expect more great things from Paul in the next year, he has some very special ideas indeed.

New Real Champagne Truffles coming this week but for starters do try Paul’s Pure Indulgence Selection.

Boiled to a dried-out, grey rubber. Clad in claggy sausage meat. Camouflaged in artificial crumb and dunked in the fryer. The humble Scotch Egg has suffered at the hands of the industrial food production line over the years. The good Chefs of Forman & Field on the other hand are putting Scotch Eggs on a pedastle.

Forman & Field Scotch Eggs

Our Scotch Eggs are just boiled so the yolks are still soft in the middle. We use a well seasoned, top notch sausagemeat to enrobe them. Then we roll in fresh breadcrumbs and fry in very small batches to crisp perfection.

Perfect picnic fodder of course but a Scotch Egg of this calibre is just as at home on a casual lunch menu at any time of the year. They also make for a buffet inclusion guaranteed to have even the most polite guests nudging and elbowing to the front of the queue.

Pop one in your basket today, you’ll never look at a Scotch Egg the same way again.

http://www.formanandfield.com/homemade-scotch-eggs-p-3032.html

Hot smoked salmon is as versatile as it is delicious. Serve it warmed through in whole pieces for an elegant main, flake it into a salad or treat yourself to a very posh sandwich filling by mixing with some creme fraiche and topping with rocket.

The knack to hot-smoking is allowing the fish to cook gently without drying out, imparting a soft smoky flavour in the process. Tricky but not impossible, and with over a hundred years’ experience we like to think we know what we’re doing.

Our new Hot Smoked Wild Salmon is made with the king of fish, delicately cured and roasted in our kilns with pure oak smoke to enhance the flavour. Smoked fish royalty.

You’ll have to excuse the pun, but these really are spiffy. British favourites to warm the heart.

We’ve got comforting Cock-a-leekie and a classic Minted Pea and Ham, as silky and rich as the day is long. Like our quiches, we don’t stint on the quality of ingredients and the secret of these beauties is a very good stock. A good stock provides the necessary foundation on which to build a delicious soup, so for ours it’s nothing but the tastiest, roasted whole chickens and the best free-range ham hocks.

Add to this some super sweet peas or fresh leeks, perfect seasoning, herbs, and a splash of cream, and you’ve got comfort in a bowl at its very best. Perfect for lunch or a simple dinner party starter. Do you have a soup recipe you’d like us to try?