Burns supper at Urban Larder, 25/01/13

On Friday evening I braved the cold and took the bus to Urban Larder on Mill Road. This is a small independent shop stocking mainly local produce from breads and meat via handmade pies (incl. Pavitt's Pies) and cakes (e.g. from Afternoon Tease) to preserves of all kinds and it's café during the day.

The shop also hosts regular events in the evening and this was one of them. It started with a glass of bubbly which was nice but didn't do much to warm me up.

However, this trick was accomplished by the first course, a hearty bowl of Cock a Leekie soup, a thick stew with leeks and chicken. This was a great way of getting us going and prepare us for the main event.

The beast was brought out and presented to Donald who addressed it in the traditional manner.

 

The haggis was excellent with a rich, meaty taste and not too peppery. Sometimes it's very peppery while still being bland so this one had a good balance. Tatties and neeps on the side, obviously, and an excellent tarragon cream sauce. There was also a dram of whisky, a very young English one from Norfolk of all places. Considering its youth (3 years!) it was quite good, if a bit rough but I could well imagine that mellowing with age.

For pudding, there was Cranachan, a Scottish version of trifle with raspberries and toasted oats. This was really good and not at all heavy.

The last official act of the evening was a group rendition of Auld Lang Syne which sounded rather good in the small room. All in all an excellent evening with lovely people. A few more photos below:

 
 

"Pies & Pints", 26/01/13

Continuing my local binge on Saturday, the destination was the hall by the Catholic church where the Cambridge Food and Wine Society had invited Carri of Pavitt's Pies to offer a tasting of her range of excellent home-made pies.
To go with the pies we had a selection of beers from the Moonshine Brewery in Cambridge which were equally excellent.
The pies on offer were:

Mushroom, onion and thyme (vegetarian)
Chicken and mushroom
Beef and ale
Cheese and onion (vegetarian)
Pork and chorizo
Pavitt’s Piemosa (vegetarian, similar filling to samosa but with a pie crust)

There was also a selection of beers from Cambridge's Moonshine Brewery: Parkers Piece, Reel Ale (orginally brewed for the Arts Cinema), Night Watch Porter, Silent Night, Black Dog and Boathouse Bitter, ranging from a pale ale to a strong Porter.

A few photographic impressions:

 



 
 

For more impressions, have a look at Jean-Luc Benazet's blog with the official photos.