At Great British Chefs we were lucky enough to be invited to a preview of Taste of London 2012 & learn more about (and taste) Simon Hulstone's menu for the festival's headline sponsor British Airways. They call it Height Cuisine, we call it delicious. Find out how amazing food can be served at 35,000 feet & what else you'll be able to see at this summer's big foodie event.
Chilled Chocolate Fondant with Salted Caramel Centre by Simon Hulstone
Blog post for Great British Chefs by Mecca Ibrahim
Did you know that our taste buds change when at 35,000 feet in the air? We've probably all got a story about airline food. However, I imagine that we don't put the often tasteless food down to pressure or the change in environment, but just blame the airline for preparing poor food.
British Airways faces the daily challenge of serving food to 100,000 customers at 35,000 feet, which has a dramatic impact on the senses. This year, at Taste of London they're giving visitors the opportunity to learn more about ‘Height Cuisine’, the airline’s commitment to serving delicious dishes that work, even in the air.
To get a greater understanding of how to serve up a mouth-watering menu at altitude, Height Cuisine was developed by BA working closely with chefs, suppliers, nutritionists and cabin crew from around the globe.
Simon Hulstone won a contest to prepare British Airways' Olympic themed menu which will be served on long haul flights from London Heathrow from July 2012. The challenge was to create high quality food, featuring local produce, which drew from Britain's culinary heritage and was Olympic themed. Tough in itself. Not only that but, Simon had to be aware of the things such as height of dishes, the fact that the hot dishes would need to be pre-heated, which would also take taste from the food, in addition to being aware of how our tastes change in high altitude.
Golden Beetroot Salad with goat's cheese by Simon Hulstone
He spent the past year being mentored by Heston Blumenthal & took inspiration from British Airways menus back in 1948, the last time the Olympic Games were held in London. Dishes were re-invented for 21st century audience and are rich in umani, a naturally salty flavour enhancer found in foods such as parmesan, oily fish, tomatoes, goats cheese & soy sauce. With that in mind, Simon's menu includes a Rillette of mackerel dressed on pickled cucumber carpaccio and Golden Beetroot Salad with goat's cheese.
Salmon Tartare by Simon Hulstone
In the post war years food was rationed and ingredients that were plentiful such as ox cheek & fish played an important part of people's diet during those times of austerity. Athletes at the 1948 games enjoyed a diet rich in fish, with the British Trawler Association donating 40,000lbs of seafood to them.
Certain cuts of beef were also used at the time with "Braised beef chasseur with young carrots & chateau potatoes" featuring on the airline's 1948 menu. Simon has re-worked this dish for today's audience with umani rich ingredients to become "Potted braised beef with a potato & horseradish topping, served with hispy cabbage, baby carrots & roasted shallots with a rich jus".
Chilled Chocolate Fondant with Salted Caramel Centre by Simon Hulstone
In honour of the Games, British Airways is putting particular emphasis on ingredients from London. So you'll find locally sourced salmon and sugar from East London in the dishes. That East London sugar has gone into the delicious chilled chocolate fondant with salted caramel centre you see pictured here.
At Taste of London the airline will be showcasing its 2012 summer menu. You’ll also have the opportunity to sample some of Simon’s dishes before they take to the skies in July and August.
There's much more food to sample at Taste of London and also cookery demonstrations and Q & A sessions with some of London's greatest chefs. I sat in on a Q & A with Angela Hartnett of Murano who gave no nonsense practical advice about preparing for dinner parties. "Less is more", she said and her favourite dinner party meals involve a huge one pot dish such as risotto or a large bowl of pasta where everyone can dive in. She's also a fan of "desserts in a glass", particularly lemon possett, which she says is one of the easiest things to make, yet tastes wonderful.
A number of chefs from Great British Chefs website have pop up restaurants at the show, where you can taste their signature dishes in sample sized portions.
Alfred Prasad at Taste of London 2012
I had a brief chat with Club Gascon's Pascal Aussignac who was delighted to announce that his intriguing sounding Marmite Royale & Soldiers had received a Taste Festivals Award for the second year in a row.
I'm looking forward to trying that dish out when I visit the show again over the weekend. If you're visiting, it's worth taking an umbrella and some sturdy shoes, as the weather in London isn't expected to be dry over the weekend. However, the rain didn't get in the way of a fun day out.
There's a huge range of artisan food producers, top notch ingredients and boutique suppliers at the festival.
You'll not only find the best of British from exhibitors, like the show's official ingredients partner Ocado, but a whole world of cuisine on offer. I'm going on holiday to Thailand later this year, and was keen to get a flavour of one of my favourite cuisines at the Taste of Thailand demo area.
The range of demostrations was pretty impressive and I came away from the event feeling prepared for summer cooking with some great BBQ tips from Weber Grills, who have a host of chefs including Simon Rogan & Jacob Kenedy from Bocca di Lupo giving live demonstrations on more unusual barbecue dishes, such as foraged vegetables & hot smoked salmon.
Finally there's a number of fun stands for you, your family & friends to enjoy, including Action Against Hunger who have a pop up photo-booth where you can pose with a number of chefs' tools of the trade & take home a fun momento of your day out.
There's more photos of Taste of London 2012 in our Flickr Set.
Taste of London runs from Thursday 21st - Sunday 24th June 2012 at Regent's Park. There are still a few tickets that can be bought on the door for sessions. You can also find recipes from a number of the chefs with pop up restaurants or demo'ing at the show in our Taste of London Recipe Collection.
Have a great time and don't forget to take your umbrella!
Speaking of the British Airways Menu, what's some of best food you've had on a plane? Let us know over on Great British Chefs Facebook page.
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