A Great British Weekend
Although 2 months back in England sounded like a lot when I arrived, the weeks have flown by and already I’m approaching the half way point. Before I know it I’ll be back in Rio – good cachaça and pão de queijo will be available on every corner, but rhubarb, samphire and British native oysters won’t be on the menu. So, with the clock ticking, I have resolved to indulge in some English delicacies while I still can.
On Sunday I went down to the rather splendidly named Lordship Lane in East Dulwich. It was a lovely sunny day and a good friend of mine lives nearby, so we met up and strolled in the sunshine, chatting as we went. Before long we found ourselves outside Franklin’s, a pub, restaurant and farm shop.
Franklin’s is a farm shop, grocer, delicatessen and across the road it becomes a pub and restaurant.
As I browsed the baskets and crates of locally produced food, I realised I had come to the perfect place.
More than a third of my readers come from Brazil – any of you recognise this stuff? This is Rhubarb (sounds like ROO-barb) – the leaves are poisonous, but the bright red stems have a fantastic flavour that is a childhood favourite (especially when served with custard!).
The first thing I saw was this crate of rhubarb! Yum! Rhubarb crumble was a favourite pudding (dessert) when I was a kid. Rhubarb is a native of Siberia and loves the cold weather of northern England – there is actually a particular area up north called The Rhubarb Triangle where they are famous for producing a particular variety called ‘forced rhubarb’ that is grown in the dark, causing the tasty stems to become long and extra-tender while the poisonous leaves stay small and stunted. More on rhubarb a little later.
Samphire – this strange looking plant that grows on rocky cliffs and marshes near the sea.
Next up it was samphire. This plant grows near the sea, giving it a salty tang – it is often compared to asparagus and is delicious when gently boiled in water and then covered in plenty of butter.
OK, so there’s nothing specifically British about tomatoes as far as I know, but I couldn’t resist including this picture of these gorgeous looking tomatoes.
Inside the shop there were more treats awaiting:
Apple juices made from specific varieties of apple, several of them native to England (such as Cox and Bramley).
Again, not English at all. But you’d be hard pressed to find this in Brazil. Raw (unpasteurised) goats cheese with a pretty ash covering – direct from France.
It’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year (60 years as Queen). A great excuse for marketing people in all industries to cash in. At least Prestat do it with style with these delicious chocolates..
Ah, what a treat. Having picked up some goodies, we moved into the restaurant and grabbed a table. Here are a couple of highlights:
These are what we call simply Native Oysters. They are smaller and sweeter than rock oysters and utterly delicious (unless you find oysters revolting, in which case they are revolting).
That red stuff is rhubarb again, this time gently stewed and sweetened – the perfect foil to the creamy vanilla blancmange (sounds like bla-MONZHE) in the foreground.
I should add that there was actually an amazing main course in the middle of these two, but I got a bit carried away and forgot to take any photographs…
So there we have it – a chilly, sun-drenched Sunday filled with delicious native delicacies. On the way home I spotted this gate:
Nice isn’t it? I was told that the guy who makes these lives locally.
I wonder if he makes these with Beija-flores…
I agree on the tomatoes. They are sweeter and just taste better here in London. Oh, and they look a lot better too thanks to the supermarkets’ stringent (if wasteful) purchasing policies.
But what about the bananas over here? I’ve had 3 since I’ve been back and they’ve all been deeply disappointing. Brazilian bananas are the best!
I think bananas are alright. Mangos are really disappointing, apart from the Alphonse you get in Indian shops for the two weeks they are in season.
The holy grail cheese with a slight old testament bias looks really good.
The oysters seem magnificent.
The gate is a work of art.
Unfortunately The Old Stable House was closed when you passed by. This is a shame – that bar is such a landmark – next time you are in East Dulwich be sure to drop in there with your friend. Trust me, just trust me.
Don’t listen to what anyone else says Gritty – Police Academy never gets old… ;)
I agree.
On a serious note though do you know what this is?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/140-Old-Ford-Road/124750530918007#!/pages/140-Old-Ford-Road/124750530918007
I stumbled upon it on the internet and it seems kinda interesting. If you find out what it is about please do tell (the food they display in the videos looks really good).
Hmmmm, interesting! Google Streetmap makes it look like a fairly nondescript location. Maybe some kind of Braziian supperclub? Looks very interesting, but couldn’t find anything more on the internet. Do you think I should just go and knock on the door?
Yes, definitely: just knock on the door. If it´s posted on Facebook, by way of an address, and portrays events then I´m sure they won´t be bothered if you just ask what´s up with the place.
Maybe it´s something really cool, and if you hear that old Tango song play as you try to leave the premises then it will be a good laugh – for me that is. For you, well, not so much :-)
Tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuhnnnn . . . LOL ( You are right: it never gets old).
Hey, this investigation regarding the venue could result in a really cool post.
“This investigation…could result in a really cool post” – easy for you to say. You’re not that one who could find himself locked down in the dungeon for the next decade or two… ;)
I really, really like Rhubarb, especially in dessert items. One of my all time favorite summer things here is Strawberry Rhubarb pie with a some french vanilla sorvete on the side.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you’ll probably never see rhubarb in Brasil…
TIME IS FLYING BY! Hows your wife handling it?
Strawberry rhubarb pie? Yes! That sounds grrrrreat!
Alex, we’re both struggling through it – almost half way there now. The welcome home party will be a bit special! :)