June food adventures with Eat with Ellen

Erm, where is the summer? According to my diary, we’re supposed to be planning barbecues and enjoying long evenings with chilled drinks in our hands. Instead it’s pouring with rain all over the country apparently – there’s literally no escape from the deluge! On top of it all, this comes off the back of a hectic few weeks that included a trip to Tokyo and all the food fun that comes with that, followed by a much calmer visit to Jersey. Needless to say, I have eaten well and done it all in slightly nicer weather than we’re looking at at the moment.

Complaining won’t do us any good though, so I’ve trawled around and found you guys a few things to do this month that should put a smile on your food-loving faces. Yes, some might require a brolly and a mac if this rain doesn’t let up, but some will give you the perfect chance to hide from any inclement weather and enjoy the summer no matter what the Met Office is saying.

Taste of London

Okay, you might need your brolly for this, but Taste is always a great event. Held at Regent’s Park, this year’s runs from June 19-23 and gives you the chance to try dishes from restaurants across the capital, all in one place. Bao, tacos, ramen, burgers, meat, plant-based, it’s all there, plus a load of demonstrations and experiences. There are bars, cider and ale trails, sensory experiences and loads more. Sure sounds like a good day out to me!

Taste of London, Regent’s Park, London. Nearest station – Regents Park

RAW at M Victoria launches new 100% vegetarian and gluten-free menu

If clean eating and meat-free stuff is your thing, you might want to check out the new menu at RAW at M Victoria, which has literally just launched (on June 7). As well as being completely vegetarian and gluten-free, a lot of it is vegan and also clearly identifies calorific counts, dietary tags and nutritional content.

Highlights include starters of Tofu tartare, plum puree, daikon and sriracha, or smoked aubergine with a miso glaze and dashi while main courses are predominantly vegan and grain-focused including buckwheat risotto with cauliflower, king mushrooms and summer truffle and courgette spaghetti with roasted organic vegetables and pine nuts.

M already has a wine list including 112 wines by the glass and they’ve also put together a paired wine list to accompany the new RAW menu including natural, organic and bio-dynamic and largely vegetarian and vegan selections.  

M Restaurant Victoria – M, Zig Zag Building, 74 Victoria St, London, SW1E 6SQ. Nearest station – Victoria

Afternoon Tea with Burberry

To celebrate its founder, Burberry has launched a classic afternoon tea at its all-day cafe Thomas’s inside the flagship Regent Street store.

The Classic Afternoon Tea includes all the classic elements you’d expect, from finger sandwiches, scones, crumpets and English cakes as well as a passionfruit and milk chocolate Burberry bar featuring the house’s Monogram which celebrates its founder and heritage through a new signature house code of interlocking TB initials.

The Classic Afternoon Tea is £32 while the Gusbourne Afternoon Tea which is served with a glass of 2014 Gusbourne Rose, is £44. To book contact Thomas’s at Burberry on +44 (0)20 3159 1410 or book via OpenTable: https://www.opentable.co.uk/thomass

Burberry, 121 Regent St, Mayfair, London W1B 4TB. Nearest station – Piccadilly Circus

New seafood restaurant at The Goring

If you’re dreaming of the seaside but can’t quite get there, you can do the next best thing and try out The Goring’s new seafood restaurant and bar, Siren. The first new restaurant at the hotel in more than 109 years, Siren opens on June 12 is inspired by the family’s links to Cornwall and will showcase the best of Cornish produce, with seafood dishes created by chef Nathan Outlaw.

With views over The Goring’s secluded garden, Siren’s menu will offer starters such as cured monkfish, ginger, fennel and yoghurt and cuttlefish black pudding, apple and kohlrabi, plus main courses of turbot herbed and battered with warm tartare sauce and red mullet with devilled shrimp butter and chicory. There will be plenty of daily specials based on fresh fish direct from Cornwall, such as Lobster grilled over fire with herbs and garlic and grilled whole monkfish for two to share.

If you’re not up for a full meal, The Goring Bar at the hotel is also being relaunched, with a newly-inspired interior and a new collection of signature cocktails designed by Bar Manager Tiago Mira. The cocktail list will focus on British spirits and will incorporate a wide variety of herbs sourced from The Goring’s own garden. You’ll also be able to try bar bites including lobster scampi with chilli and pepper jam and crab scones, or more substantial dishes like The Goring club sandwich and Smoked fish platter with horseradish and lemon.

Siren at The Goring, 15 Beeston Pl, Westminster, London SW1W 0JW. Nearest station – Victoria

1969 afternoon tea at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower

I’ve told you before about some of the afternoon tea offerings at the Jumeirah Carlton and each time I see a new one I feel duty-bound to tell you about it. This time they’re marking the iconic events of half a century ago with the Summer of ‘69 Afternoon Tea inspired by events from that year including the moon landing, the release of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album and the Woodstock music festival.

Served alongside live music from the hotel’s resident harpist, it begins with 60s flavours including a prawn and cress bridge roll with marie rose sauce; a mini smoked applewood cheese scone with tomato, basil and goats cheese; and the hotel’s signature Rib Room roast Scottish beef sandwich.

Sweet treats include the rainbow Battenberg Woodstock cake complete with electric guitar and the Amalfi lemon First Man on the Moon cake with whipped lemon ganache and a silver space rocket. The Abbey Road hazelnut, milk chocolate and elderflower delice is topped with The Beatles striding across its zebra crossing decoration.

The Summer of ’69 Afternoon Tea will be served daily from 3pm to 6pm in the hotel’s Chinoiserie lounge from June 1 to August 31 and costs £39 per person, £49 including a glass of Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne or £59 including a glass of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé. For more information, visit www.jumeirah.com/jct.

Jumeirah Carlton Tower & Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, Cadogan Place, London SW1X 9PY. Nearest station – Knightsbridge