We’re getting ready for our new seasonal menu for March and will be making some delicious new dishes available exclusively to our online customers later this week. Sign up to email list to be the first in the queue!

Make sure you get the scoop by leaving your email address here: EMAIL SIGN UP

Here’s a taster of what’s to come…

Dill & Horseradish Cured Salmon

Confit of Free Range English Duck with Preserved Lemon, Fennel & Watercress Salad

Emmett's Orange Cooked Ham

Finn Cheese, Beetroot & Tarragon Tartlets

Meantime Brewery London Lager

Rhug Estate Organic Mini Roasts - Beef, Pork & Lamb

We’re looking forward to welcoming West Ham United to the Olympic stadium after the games. They chose to announce the success of their take over from the roof of our events venue Forman’s Fish Island.

They spent the day conducting press interviews up on our roof terrace that has the best view in London of what will become their home stadium after the games. Great to see a local club will be taking over and we look forward to the park continuing to be a vibrant East London attraction in years to come.

If you are looking for somewhere for your big announcement contact us for details of the different options we can provide from an intimate press conference to a full scale launch party.

See the website for information on holding private or corporate events at our venue, the closest in London to the 2012 Olympic stadium. http://www.formansfishisland.com

Congratulations again to The Grubworm on his triumph in our #Formanslovecookoff. It was a close run thing though and it would be mean spirited not to give credit to all our competitors. They clearly devoted a huge amount of time and effort to producing their recipes and menus, there’s some serious food talent out there. We’ll be printing Grubworm’s recipes in our March flyer so customers should look out for that towards the end of Feb. And look out for more cookoffs in the future… we’re done with romance, what next?

But let’s face it we all want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly so here goes.

The Judges

Lance Forman – The ‘Forman’ in Forman & Field, 4^th generation salmon smoker and supplier of the world’s best smoked salmon to the world’s best restaurants. You would expect the MD of a business with 106 years history in fine food to know a thing or two about picking a winning recipe, you’d be right.

Lloyd Hardwick – Forman’s Executive Chef trained with the Roux brothers and Michel Bourdin before becoming the original Exec Chef of the Tate Modern restaurants and then taking over as Director of Operations at Formans where we serve the best British food for up to 700 diners at a time. Lloyd’s a stickler for detail and not an easy man to please, judges don’t come tougher.

In no particular order, here’s what they thought.

Essexeating

Essex man Dan ran a close thing indeed. More classic flavour combinations – smoked salmon, beetroot and horseradish, YUM – but put together with flair and presentation worthy of any top restaurant plate. Demanding stuff for the average punter, would even our esteemed gastronome followers keep up. Better luck next time Dan.

Jo’s Kitchen

We die-hard fans of the little silver fishies loved Jo’s inspired anchovy foccacia recipe and her chocolate pots with brandied cherries and Regent’s Park honey biscuits may very well find their way on to the Forman’s Restaurant menu. The menu definitely has the yum factor, perhaps just a touch too close to home for the wow factor at this level.

Food Urchin

Loverman Dan truly embraced the romantic theme like no other. We actually worried Dan had gone a step too far once he started talking about ‘oozing l’amour’ all over the plate. His menu of four elegant dishes was, however, a sweet seduction indeed. The Luuuuurve Trifle was to be our favourite of all the desserts with extra points for the tarragon jelly in with the whipped cream topping. We hate to break your heart Dan.

Meemalee

She promised to melt our hearts and damnit if we were to unpack her Bento box she might do just that. Royal Fillet is perfect for the sashimi treatment and MiMi took the Japanese theme to the next level with her Korokke. Her presentation was knockout and of all the entries this was the one that we most wanted to eat there and then. In the end she’s just been pipped by a more formal entry, suit and tie next time you romance us please MiMi.

Can Be Bribed with Food

Carla refused to be a sucker for saccharin romance but she still got the judges’ pulses racing with her plump anchovies and ‘pasta frolla’ topped with silky smoked salmon. We had to take a point off for the introduction of a pork belly from outside the mystery box – whilst admitting that it was just the sort of bold main course we love at F&F -, not enough bang in our box for you Carla?

How Not to Do a Food Blog

Anchovy soldiers! We want them and we want them now. Paul’s cooking is absolutely his own. If that sounds like backhanded criticism it’s not, we loved how he took a step back from convention and came up with flavour combinations that work. True food love. Aside from the anchovy soldiers the cheese and honey parcel with an apple and tarragon cream sauce was absolutely off the cheeseboard. Our ‘one to watch’, maybe next year Paul.

The Grubworm!

Like all genius talents self-confessed ‘lazy person’ the Grubworm makes it look easy. His menu is simplicity itself yet the flavour combinations are sophisticated and bring ingredients together into ‘something to make the tastebuds sing’. Congratulations!

http://www.thegrubworm.com/2011/01/a-feast-for-your-valentine/

And commiserations to the rest of the brave competitors, detailed comments from our judges to follow…

Last but by no means least, we have Essex man Dan and his rather impressive dishes. Living with his  charming, career-cook lady friend is clearly having an effect on Dan, who constructed a neat little tartlet of smoked salmon and scrambled egg, a technically impressive stack of beetroot jelly, Forman’s Royal Fillet and  horseradish cream, a delicate Regent’s Park honey parfait, ginger crumb and cherry coulis and a showboating finish of honey oatcakes with Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese. Are you sure you didn’t have any help, Mr Essex?

Twitter: @essexeating

Fighting talk: “I will obviously win as I’m a naturally gifted cook, highly intelligent and also staggeringly beautiful. The only way is Essex. *thumps chest*”

Soundtrack: Cab Calloway – Everybody eats when they come to my house

Read the full entry here: http://essexeating.blogspot.com/2011/01/forman-field-valentines-cook-off-and.html

All recipes serve 2

Sliced Smoked Salmon, Scrambled Egg Tart with a Tarragon Jelly glaze
Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs are a classic match, I thought it would look more impressive and elegant in a tartlet case, with the tarragon jelly brushed inside to glaze and give an interesting contrasting flavour.

For the Shortcrust Pastry: -
200g plain flour
Pinch of salt
75g cold butter, chopped
1 small egg
12ml water

Sift the flour with the salt. Rub the flour and butter together till it’s a crumble consistency. Add the egg and water and mix to form a smooth dough. Cling film and refrigerate for 30mins before using.

Roll out the pastry and line 2 greased tartlet tins, leaving the pastry overhanging to be trimmed later.

Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, and bake at 180C for 15 mins.

Remove the beans and using a pastry brush coat the inside of the tarts with the Tarragon Jelly.

Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 mins.

Remove and put to one side to cool.

For the Scrambled Eggs: -
4x Large Eggs
Large Knob Butter
1 Tbs Double Cream
Salt and Pepper

I shouldn’t really have to give a scrambled egg recipe, but in the interests of completeness…

Add the knob of butter to a saucepan over a low heat and melt until foaming.

Beat the eggs with a fork, season and then pour into the saucepan. Stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the double cream and turn the heat down low, stirring regularly. The idea is too cook slowly until just set and creamy. Remove the eggs from the heat just before they seem ready.

Spoon into the tartlet cases.

Drape with sliced Salmon (Be generous).
Beetroot Jelly, Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Cream
I’d made a Beetroot Jelly before, and knew that this flavour partnered with Horseradish and Smoked Salmon is an absolute classic. I pictured how it would look and how simple it should be, but the whole thing turned out to be quite fiddly to assemble and get right. I used Agar Flakes to make the jelly as ‘E’ is a Pescetarian but if you’re not bothered about such things, you could swap for Gelatine, as it’s much cheaper.

First make the Beetroot Jelly

You’ll Need: -
250g Cooked Beetroot
375ml Vegetable Stock
½ Tsp Caster Sugar
3 Heaped Tsp Agar Flakes

Grate the beetroot into a saucepan and add 250ml of the stock. Simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Pour the remaining 125ml of stock into another saucepan and sprinkle over the agar flakes, leave for a couple of mins and then warm through stirring now and again until all the flakes have dissolved. This should take about 10 mins.

Pour into the beetroot pan and stir together.

Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, do not force the mixture through.

Set the bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice, and stir slowly with a metal spoon until a gel begins to form. Spoon the jelly into a small flat-bottomed bowl lined with Clingfilm. Ideally you want the beetroot mixture to be at least 1cm thick.

Refrigerate until firm. This should take a couple of hours.

Next, make the Horseradish Cream.

You’ll need: -
100ml Crème Fraiche
2 Heaped Teaspoons Moniack Castle Horseradish Sauce
1 Tsp finely chopped Chervil or parsley

Mix all of these ingredients together.

To Assemble: -
Using a square cookie cutter, or sharp knife cut an 8cm x 4cm oblong out of the Salmon Fillet and place in the centre of the plate.

Cut a piece with the same dimensions from the beetroot jelly, and place on top of the Salmon.

Finally top with the horseradish crème, and garnish with some finely chopped parsley or chervil.

Regents Park Honey Parfait, with Ginger Crumb and Cherry Coulis
This is a bit of a cack handed homage to the beautiful Regents Park Honey Ice Cream Sandwich they serve at The Restaurant at St Pauls. It’s awesome, truly one of the best things I’ve eaten anywhere. For this, I made my own gingerbread and blitzed it up, but you could save time by blitzing some bought gingerbread biscuits, I doubt anyone would notice.

For the Honey Parfait
You’ll Need:-
3 Egg Yolks
90g Caster Sugar
225ml Double Cream
75g Regent’s Park London Honey

Line two small (6cm across, 4cm deep) ring moulds with Clingfilm.

Break the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar.

Heat the honey in a saucepan until melted then pour over the egg and sugar mix.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and honey over a saucepan of simmering water until doubled in volume.

Remove from the heat and whisk until cool.

Whip the Double Cream until at the soft peak stage, and then fold into the honey mixture.

Pour into the lined moulds (you’ll have some extra, so pour that into a tub), and freeze until set (at least 3 hours).

For the Gingerbread Crumb

You’ll Need:-
110g Plain Flour
Pinch salt
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
½ heaped Tsp ground ginger
¼ heaped Tsp ground cinnamon
25g unsalted butter
50g soft brown sugar
50g golden syrup
1 tsp treacle

Sift the flour, salt, soda and spices.

Heat the butter, sugar, syrup and treacle until melted and then cool.

When ready, pour into the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.

Refrigerate for 30 mins.

Pre-heat the oven to 190C, and grease a baking sheet.

Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick, and cut out biscuit shapes.

Bake in the oven for about 7 mins, but keep an eye on it. Gingerbread although seemingly soft, hardens as it cools – it’s very easy to overcook, so be cautious.

Cool on a wire rack.

To Assemble: -

Blitz a couple of the gingerbread biscuits to a fine crumb and sprinkle onto a small plate.

Stone and Blitz a handful of brandied cherries to make the coulis.

Un-mould the Honey Parfait, and dip each end into the gingerbread crumb.

Top each with a whole brandied cherry and spoon cherry coulis around the plate.

Honey Oatcakes served with Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese
I wanted to use as many of the ingredients as possible, but still had some of the excellent Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese left (Lets forget about the anchovies yeah?). In the end I decided to use some more of the Regents Park Honey to make some honey oat biscuits and to serve these simply with the cheese at the end.

You’ll Need: -
90g Rolled Oats
60g Butter
60g Regents Park Honey
Small pinch of salt

Melt the butter, add the salt, honey and oats and mix until combined.

Pour into a greased baking tin and bake at 170C around 25-30mins or until golden.

Remove from the oven and leave a few mins to cool, then cut into squares.

So that’s that. ‘The stuff that I cooked’. I think that the tartlets and the honey parfait dishes worked best. Overall I was fairly pleased with how most of it turned out.

Foodie mistress of the midlands, our Nigella-devotee Jo is always looking to expand her culinary repertoire, frequently embarking on cookery courses, recipe testing and Masterchef challenges alike. She enjoys putting together invitingly scrummy homely dishes, and came up with a homemade anchovy focaccia, seared Royal Fillet of Smoked Salmon with Kirkham’s Lancashire Dauphinoise, topped off with some delectable Regent’s Park honey biscuits to accompany our brandied cherries. Didn’t she do well?

Twitter: @jos_kitchen

Soundtrack: Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen

Fighting talk: I will the win the cook off because I believe in simple home cooking and showing already fantastic ingredients at their best. It’s my Kitchen. It’s my Rules! Capisce?

Read the entry in full here: http://joskitchen.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/forman-and-fields-valentines-cook-off/

It took a few days of thinking but I managed to come up with a Valentine’s menu that I thought was simple to do and showed the amazing produce off at its best. To be completely and utterly truthful, I dislike anchovies with a passion, however I was determined to use everything that came in the box, so I thought that as the anchovies had garlic in them, I would make a foccacia as it is easy and a bit more upmarket then a pizza, where you usually find anchovies.

For my main, I simply griddled the salmon as it was too good to do anything else with, and served it with dauphinoise potatoes, with a generous grating of Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese on top and green beans, with both the tarragon jelly and horseradish on the side. For pudding, I made a chocolate pot with brandied cherries and honey biscuits. The pictures of my dishes and full recipes are below.

Stuart and I really enjoyed the meal. The Royal Fillet was the best salmon I have ever tasted and the honey was delicious. I am now addicted to brandied cherries as well. My big jar will not last very long! One minor downside is that the foccacia did not really work. It was simply too fishy and overpowering. I have included the recipe here so that someone who likes anchovies can have a go and see if they can make it better than I did.

All Serve Two

Anchovy and Garlic Foccacia
Ingredients
•    200g strong white bread flour, and more for dusting
•    1 packet of dried yeast
•    2 tablespoons of olive oil
•    1 teaspoon salt
•    125ml warmish water
•    6 anchovy fillets, chopped up into small bits and some oil out the container they were in

Method
1.    Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the olive oil and water and mix with your hand until its forms a sticky ball of dough.
2.    Put some flour on your work surface, and knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Put in a oiled bowl, covered with a tea towel, cling film or even in a bin bag and leave in a warm place for an hour.
3.    After an hour has passed, knock back the dough and place in an oiled tin or tray and spread the dough out until it covers the bottom. leave it covered for another half an hour in a warm place.
4.    After half an hour, uncover it and spread out the chopped up anchovies and oil all over the top of the foccacia. Put in a preheated oven (180 degrees C) and let it cook for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and enjoy.

Griddled Salmon with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Green Beans
Ingredients
•    1 Royal Fillet of Smoked Salmon, chopped up into two portions
•    3 large or 6 small Maris Piper Potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
•    100ml double cream
•    300ml whole milk
•    1/2 onion, peeled
•    2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
•    Salt and white pepper
•    Generous handful of Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese, grated
•    1 packet of green beans, cooked according to the packet instructions
•   Horseradish sauce and tarragon jelly, to serve

Method
1.    In a saucepan, put the potatoes, cream, milk, 1/2 an onion, salt and pepper and allow simmer gently until the potatoes are nearly cooked through.
2.    Remove the onion from the potatoes and place everything else in a lasagne type dish and put the grated cheese on top. Put in an preheated oven (180 degrees C) and allow to cook until slightly golden and bubbling.
3.    Meanwhile, preheat up a griddle pan and cook the salmon on both sides, until slightly charred and warmed through.
4.    Serve the salmon with the Dauphinoise Potatoes and green beans, with a spoonful each of horseradish and tarragon jelly on the side. Enjoy

Chocolate Pots with Honey Biscuits and Brandied Cherries

Ingredients for Chocolate Pots
•    100g 70% dark chocolate, chopped up
•    140ml double cream
•    35g caster sugar
•    1 egg yolk
•    1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
•    6 pitted brandied cherries and 4 whole, for the top

Ingredients for Honey Biscuits (Makes 12-14)
•    2 heaped table spoons Regents Park Honey
•    2 table spoons whole milk
•    1 teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda
•    175g plain flour
•    75g caster sugar
•    100g unsalted butter

Method
1.    (For the Chocolate Pots) Gently warm the cream and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar the melted.
2.    In a bowl, put the chocolate, 1 egg yolk and vanilla extract. Pour over the cream and sugar mixture and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
3.    Pop 3 pitted cherries into the bottom of each ramekin and pour the chocolate mixture on top. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
4.    (For the Honey Biscuits) Put the honey and milk in a saucepan and allow to warm through. Add in the Bicarbonate of Soda and stir until frothy. Set aside and allow to cool.
5.    Cream the butter and sugar together. Add in the flour and frothy mixture and mix until combined.
6.    Roll and shape a knob of the biscuit mixture and flatten onto a baking tray lined with parchment. Do not make them too big as they will spread during cooking.
7.    Bake in a preheated 2o0 degrees C oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving with the chocolate pots and brandied cherries.

Fresh from victory in the recent #brawnoff competition, Aaron couldn’t resist another opportunity to demonstrate his considerable kitchen prowess. A salad of Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese and hazelnuts, elegant main course of smoked salmon, new potato salad, courgette ribbons and salsa verde, and honey ice cream with chocolate covered brandied cherries and a cheeky nip of apple vodka prove that he’s definitely in it to win it again.

Twitter: @thegrubworm

Fighting talk: I’m a lazy person, doing as much as possible beforehand and letting ingredients speak for themselves. Sometimes simple is best.
Soundtrack: Suede, Dr John, Gorillaz, A R Rahman and Pink Martinti – something upbeat and (mostly) romantic to get me in the Forman’s love mood.

Read the full entry here: http://www.thegrubworm.com/2011/01/a-feast-for-your-valentine/

Making something using all the ingredients was going to difficult. This was a Valentine’s meal so I didn’t want to create anything that took too long to put together. This is the day you want to spend with your significant other/object of desire right? Not slaving over a stove and sweating like a pig.

And so my menu is one that requires minimum effort on the day – but is still romantic, aphrodisical and not too heavy. Because you might get lucky. And you don’t want too heavy a belly when that happens. Right?

There are plenty of contrasting and complementary tastes and textures. Peppery and crunchy, pungent and piquant, smooth and slippery – oh yes! Lip smacking food that involves some slurping and sucking. Rude food.

Hazelnut and Lancashire Cheese salad
To start, a simple watercress salad tarted up with roasted hazelnuts and crumbly creamy Lancashire cheese, all pulled together with a sweet and tart dressing made with the tarragon and apple jelly.

Next up the salmon. The royal fillet is a beautiful cut of meat, all silky smooth with a subtle and gently smokey edge. If the Scottish did sashimi, this is how they’d do it. It was too good to mess around with. It just needs something to play off that oily fatty goodness.

Which is where anchovies come in. Whizzed into a salsa verde with some fresh herbs, capers and mustard, they provide a piquant counterbalance to the smooth fish. Something to make the tastebuds sing.

Salmon, courgette ribbons & potato salad
Smoked salmon & salsa verde, courgette ribbons and new potato salad. Accompanied by al dente, almost raw, courgette ribbons spritzed up with lemon and black pepper. Simple, tasty and fresh. And a new potato salad with a light horseradish mayonnaise to provide a little creamy, gentle-with-a-hint-of-heat, ballast.

In a last minute burst of inspiration (once again from Mrs GW) I mixed some of the tarragon apple jelly with bison grass vodka and put it in the freezer before I started assembling. A sub-zero palate cleanser.

Dessert was the honey ice cream. The Regent’s Park honey we got was wonderfully fragrant – redolent of warm spring days – and gave the ice cream a surprisingly subtle edge. Sweet and honeyed with just the hint of cinnamon. The cherries providing an alcoholic and fruity contrast.

Ice cream and frozen vodka
Honey ice cream, chocolate covered brandied cherries and apple vodka

The whole lot only took about forty minutes of preparation on the day and while filling, it was not overwhelming. So if the meal served its tempting purpose and the dishes were left on the table as you ran up to the bedroom, then it wasn’t one that would sit heavy in the stomach.

The Recipes

I know there seems a lot, but here’s a bunch of stuff you can do beforehand and the rest really doesn’t take long – with a little organisation.

Forman & Field’s loved up cook off Valentine’s dinner
Feeds two loved up bellies, with enough room for hanky panky afterwards if you feel like it

Assuming you’ve already made the sauces (see below) then it’s all just a matter of assembling. So put the icecream in the fridge, shake some bison grass vodka and tarragon apple jelly together in a jar and put it in the freezer, and get going.

Watercress, roast hazlenut and Kirkam’s Lancashire Cheese salad with an apple, tarragon and mustard dressing
One bunch of watercress – washed
A handful of hazelnuts
A small wedge of Kirkam’s Lancashire cheese – crumbled
2-3 tblsp of apple, tarragon & mustard dressing (see below)

Set oven to 180oC and start getting the rest of the meal ready. When it is hot, put the hazelnuts in for 8-10 minutes. Remove and roll them between your hands to remove most of the skin. Careful though, they’ll be hot

Roughly chop the hazelnuts, and toss half of them with the watercress, half the cheese and the dressing. Put the salad on the plates and scatter over the rest of the cheese and hazelnuts.

Smoked royal fillet of salmon with a warm horseradish and new potato salad and courgette ribbons.
175g London cure royal fillet of smoked salmon
Salsa verde (see below)
1 large or 2 medium courgettes
1 lemon – zested and then juiced
EV Olive oil
A handfull of new potatoes
1 dessertspoon of horseradish mayonnaise (see below)
Cayenne pepper
Chopped parsley

New potato salad
Put two pans of water on to boil before you start to make the salad above. Add the new potatoes to one and bring to the boil and leave to bubble away for 15 minutes. Drain and leave to cool a little.
Chop each potato into four pieces and toss them with the mayonnaise. Pile carefully onto the plate and sprinkle a pinch of cayenne and some chopped parsley over the top.

Slice the courgettes into fine ribbons using a mandoline, peeler or sharp knife. When the second pan comes to the boil, add the courgettes and cook for two minutes only. Drain and refresh under cold water.

Curl the courgettes onto the plate next to the potatoes and scatter over the lemon zest and some of the juice along with a little olive oil and black pepper.
Slice the salmon into thick slices – approx 7-8mm (sashimi thickness for Japanese food lovers). Lay then on the plate infront of the potatoes and courgette and spoon over a little of the salsa verde.

Courgette ribbons

Stuff to do ahead of time
It’s Valentine’s (or some other special) day and the last thing you want to be doing is spending the day all alone in the kitchen cooking. You’d much rather be pulling the cork on a great bottle of wine and looking deeply into someone else’s eyes, wouldn’t you? Or maybe it’s more of a case of cracking open a few cans and gettng the playstation warmed up, or possibly line dancing in plaid shirts to a fiddle reel. Whatever floats your boat, you want to spend the day doing cool stuff. Not blending sauces. So, all of these can be made a day or two beforehand and will mean the most you have to do is cook a the potatoes and courgettes and then assemble the rest. Easy peasy.

Apple, tarragon and mustard dressing
5tblsp e v olive oil
Juice of a half a lemon
2 tblsp F&F apple tarragon jelly
2 tsp grainy mustard
Black pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until combined.

Salsa verde
1 bunch parsley
15 basil leaves
6 fillets of formans garlic marinated anchovies
Juice of quarter of a lemon
1 tsp capers
3 tblsp e v olive oil
Half a small clove garlic – crushed
Pinch of caster sugar
Black pepper

Strip as much of the thick stalks as possible from the parsley. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until a fine paste. Pour in more olive oil until the paste loosens into a thick sauce.

Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
200ml sunflower oil
100ml olive oil
2 tblsp horseradish sauce (blend if it’s coarsely grated).
Quarter lemon
Back pepper

Whisk the egg yolks and add a few drips of the oil and beat hard. Keep adding the oil a few drips at a time, beating hard all the while. The mixture should start to emulsify and thicken.

Once about half the oil has been added in this way you should have a thick mixture the consistency of whipped cream. From here on in you can add the oil in a thin trickle, but keep beating.

About half way through beat in the lemon juice and at the end add the horseradish and black pepper.

Honey ice cream
500ml whole milk
100ml whipping cream
3 egg yolks
20g caster sugar
150g regents park honey (approx 3/4 jar)
1 cinnamon stick

Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and heat until warm, then whisk in the egg yolks and sugar before stirring in the honey and adding the cinnamon stick. Keep stirring as the honey melts and the mixture gets hotter.

Just before it boils take it off the heat, pour into a jug and cool down as fast as possible. Then put it into the fridge for 6-12 hours, or overnight.

Make according to ice cream maker instructions. If making the day before put it into the freezer and remove about 30 mins before you plan to eat it. Just before you start eating is a good time.

Chocolate covered cherries
Brandied cherries
100g Maya Gold dark chocolate

Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a perspex bowl. Put the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir the chcolate until it melts. Remove from heat and leave for five minutes.

Dip the cherries into the chocolate and swirl until totally covered. Leave to cool on a piece of grease proof paper. They’ll keep in the fridge for a day or two.

Danny – the hopeless romantic – seems at his happiest when inflicting devastation on the kitchen with “two very lovely and very naughty twins”, or cooking up a delicious storm to please Mrs FU. Known for his culinary ambition (whole, home-dug pit barbequed lamb anyone?), Danny has put together a superbly-stinky Anchoïade, a simple but sumptuous seared-salmon main with our Royal Fillet of smoked salmon, and the piece de la resistance, the Luuuuurve Trifle. Tres bonne.

Twitter: @foodurchin

Fighting talk: I’m going to win because I am dripping with love and romance. And with the ingredients given, I am going ooze l’amour all over the plate like a sexy, sweaty, culinary Barry White.

Cook-off kitchen soundtrack: Anything by the Walrus of Love.

Read the full entry here: http://foodurchin.blogspot.com/2011/01/luuuuuurve-trifle.html

The ‘Luuuuurve Trifle’

Serves 2 horny devils

For the base

4 Amaretti biscuits

For the jelly

20 boozy cherries (from Forman and Field’s brandied cherries)

100 ml of the reserved brandy/cherry liquor

Juice of 2 blood oranges

Shot of cherry vodka (optional – we had some homemade stuff kicking around in the cupboard)

2 sheets of gelatine

for the custard

150 ml full fat milk

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp caster sugar

A couple of drops of vanilla essence.

1 sheet of gelatine

For the whipped cream

100 ml double cream

2 tsps tarragon jelly

Method

Take two large wine glasses or any other suitable vessel and place 2 Amaretti biscuits in each one.

Stone and half the cherries and place in a pan along with brandy and juice from blood oranges (and optional shot of vodka) and gently warm through on the hob. Meanwhile soak two sheets of gelatine in a bowl of water and after 5 minutes take back out, squeezing off any excess water. Take pan off the heat and stir through gelatine until dissolved. Pour in the mixture up to roughly two thirds of each glass. Leave to cool and then place in the fridge for an hour or so to set.

Heat the milk in another pan, bringing slowly to boiling point, then take back off and leave to cool slightly. Beat the egg yolk in a bowl with the sugar and vanilla essence and then pour the milk onto the yolk mixture, continually stirring whilst doing do. Place the pan back on a gentle heat and stir for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain into a bowl. Again soak one sheet of gelatine in some water, squeezing off the excess and stir through custard until dissolved. Again, leave to cool and then pour onto set jelly up to about 1-2cm further up the glass. Place back in the fridge to set custard.

Just before serving combine the double cream and tarragon jelly in a bowl and whip till nice and stiff (oo-er). Pipe the cream around in a swirly pattern on top of the custard if you feel so inclined or simply spoon a splodge into each glass. Top each trifle with a whole boozy cherry.

Enjoy.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, MiMi (that’s two capital M’s) is definitely one of the wackier stalwarts of the London food-blogging scene. Known for taunting all things Masterchef and her fabulous Burmese feasts, MiMi constructed a beautiful Bento box for her sweetheart followed by an indulgent and impressively technical cheesecake.

Twitter: @Meemalee

Fighting talk: “Meemalee’ s Kitchen is going to win your hearts – you’ll melt when you see what I magick up”.

Kitchen cook-off sound track: Mondo Cane by Mike Patton of Faith No More fame (his interpretation of Italian love songs from the Sixties).

Read the full entry here: http://www.meemalee.com/2011/01/lancashire-cheese-cake-salmon-bento.html

Salmon, Anchovy and Horseradish Korokke

* 100g Royal Fillet of smoked salmon

* 4 garlic marinated anchovies

* 1 egg

* 200g panko breadcrumbs

* 1 tsp horseradish sauce

* 1 tsp furikake seasoning

* Enough oil for deep-frying

Mince the salmon and the anchovies and then mix thoroughly with half the panko and all of the rest of the ingredients.

Form into 2 inch long croquette shapes and roll each croquette in the remaining panko.

Deep-fry no more than four croquettes at a time for a couple of minutes and then drain on kitchen paper.

My finished bento for my husband – smoked salmon stars, sugar snap peas, heart shaped onigiri, salmon korokke, heart shaped egg, cherry tomatoes, all on a bed of sushi rice sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheesecake and Honey Sundaes

I’m not really one for desserts, but my husband has a sweet tooth and the way to a man’s heart is well known, so I’m determined to come up with something special as a Valentine’s bonus.

I figure the Lancashire cheese is surprisingly delicate, so as soon as I finish popping the brandied cherries in my mouth, I decide to make my beloved a spin on a traditional cheesecake.

The tarragon jelly is sweet with a hint of aniseed so I work this into the biscuit base. The herbiness complements the lime zest in the cheesecake topping.

For the base

* 8 digestive biscuits

* 1 tbsp melted butter

* 1 tbsp Regent’s Park honey

* 1 tbsp tarragon jelly

For the topping

* 25 brandied cherries

* 2 tbsp lovage cordial (optional)

* 150 ml double cream

* 25g Kirham’s Lancashire Cheese, finely grated

* 1 tbsp agar flakes or 1 gelatin sheet

* 3 tbsp Regent’s Park honey

* 1 tbsp caster sugar

* 1 tsp vanilla extract

* Zest of 1 lime

Crush the biscuits, add all the other base ingredients and mix thoroughly. Press into the base of two large wine glasses and chill.

Reserving two of the cherries, stone and destalk the rest and blend these with 2 tbsp honey, the lovage cordial if using, and a little of the cherry brandy until it turns into a sort of compote.

Dissolve the gelatine/agar in a little hot water. Whip the cream till stiff, then beat in the grated cheese, gelatine, sugar, lime zest and vanilla extract.

Layer half the cream mixture into the glasses. Then split the cherry compote between them.

Finish with the rest of the “cream cheese” and top with the reserved cherries.

Finally, warm the last tablespoon of honey and drizzle all over the cheesecake sundaes.

So that’s what I did using all the ingredients in my mystery box from Forman & Field for the Forman’s Love Cook Off.

Meemalee’s Valentine’s Day Menu

First course (for work)

a Bento of Salmon Sashimi Stars, and Salmon, Anchovy and Horseradish croquettes so the seduction starts while we’re apart (heh) … actually I’ve had all the bento paraphernalia for a while but not got round to using it, so this was well overdue.

Second course (for play)

He comes home to a light but luscious Lancashire Cheesecake and Honey Sundae with cherry compote on a tarragon biscuit base.

Feisty Latino lady of the group, what Carla lacks in enthusiasm for Valentine’s day itself she more than makes up for in her love of good grub. Playing fast and loose with the ingredients, Carla controversially sneaked some piggy pork belly into her main course, but made less contentious and equally beautiful dishes of Royal Fillet of smoked salmon crostata and honeyed ricotta with brandied cherries either side.

Twitter: @bribedwithfood

Fighting talk: “Because I’m a Jedi that handles a chef’s knife better than a light saber and knows more about Food than Force.”

Kitchen cook-off sound track: AC/DC “Back in black”

Read the full entry here: http://www.canbebribedwithfood.com/2011/01/formans-love-cook-off-indulgent-menu.html

I like cooking for friends and family too, but the meals I cook for myself always seem to taste better. An indulgence that I’m realising more and more people are taking up.

And so my “Love Meal” is not a V-Day one and I haven’t cooked it for another half.

It’s a Love Meal from me to me, because, you know, I deserve one.

I really enjoy nibbling and having a glass of wine whilst I cook so the marinated anchovies with garlic I found in my mystery box where just the thing I needed – Plump, flavoursome and fresh.

Aperitivo bliss at its best.

I then swiftly moved on to a savoury “crostata” of tarragon jelly topped with slices of the most amazingly delicate Royal fillet smoked salmon I have ever tried.

The pastry was a savoury adaptation of Italian “pasta frolla” – All lemony and peppery.

To give it a little colour I added a baby spinach salad to the side with Dijon and shallots dressing.

Ooooh, yeah!

My main was made of slow roasted pork belly with a white wine and horseradish gravy unceremoniously plonked over a bed of “risi e bisi” that enjoyed the addition of shredded little gem lettuce because I like green and, well, lettuce made my risotto look greener and more fun.

And last, but not lease dessert: ricotta whipped with Regent’s Park honey and cream, topped with warm brandied cherries and a balsamic reduction.

Not too shabby for a “I love me meal”, eh?!