The Chelsea Townhouse on Cadogan Gardens

Occupying three lovingly restored Edwardian homes in the exclusive enclave of Chelsea and Knightsbridge, The Chelsea Townhouse, which used to be named The Draycott, epitomizes the grandeur of old-world luxury. Hidden away down a leafy road in one of London’s most glamorous neighbourhoods and around the corner from Sloane Square, it's my favourite place to stay when in London. Steeped in Edwardian splendour, with an array of sophisticated rooms and suites overlooking the private garden square, staying at The Chelsea Townhouse doesn't feel like you're staying at a hotel at all, but rather like you're a privileged guest in an elegant country home, it feels so wonderfully intimate, inviting and comfortable, unlike a ‘traditional’ hotel experience. All the rooms have the most pillowy soft beds, to ensure the "sweetest" of dreams.

The Garden Suite, our 'home away from home' for 10 days

Glorious views of the private garden

www.thechelseatownhouse.com

A Culinary Journey to London & the Cotswolds

 

A Culinary and Cultural Journey to London and the Cotswolds

August 28 - September 28, 2024

Scrumpdillyicious will be touring London and the Cotswolds for a trip down 'Memory Lane'. Having lived in England for many years, we shall embark on a journey through time to explore the iconic landmarks and rich history of London to the idyllic charm of the Cotswolds and England's glorious countryside. Join me online each week as we journey through London and beyond, capturing the cultural and culinary pulse of one of the most iconic cities in the world, renowned for it's architectural marvels, fabulous museums, sensational restaurants and thriving theatre arts scene. So grab your appetite as we head "over the pond" for a month savouring this corner of paradise.

Restaurant Pearl Morissette's Garden Tour

 

Following a leisurely three hour Sunday lunch at Restaurant Pearl Morissette with my husband, brother and sister-in-law, we embarked on the popular Garden Tour with former-pastry-chef-turned-resident farmer Shane Harper, who provided us with an eye-opening introduction to regenerative and sustainable farming. Foods that aren’t grown on-site are supplemented by meats and regional goods from local sustainable farmers and fishermen. During our tour, we had the opportunity to learn all about the different herbs, flowers, and vegetables that are grown in the vast garden, in addition to being invited to taste anything we wanted, including rose thyme, sweet grass, flavourful cicely and a curious plant that tasted just like oysters. 

The herb garden is where all of the dishes from Restaurant Pearl Morissette begin, supplying foraged herbs, mushrooms, field greens and berries that find their way into almost every dish on the menu of the winery restaurant. There is a strong effort to reduce the farm’s carbon footprint, and much of the produce, herbs and fruits used in the restaurant are grown on the 1.5 acre regenerative farm. The property is also home to beehives which provide the restaurant with fresh honeycomb that we enjoyed at lunch, as well as hundreds of very happy pasture-raised free-range Lavender Orpington hens. Berkshire pigs, Galloway cattle, White Rock chickens and Muscovy ducks are also raised on the property, providing us with a unique window into the glorious bounty of the property and the Niagara region. 

Over 150 species of annual herbs, perennials, shrubs, edible flowers and more comprise 

a unique pantry that is the starting point for the chef’s inspiration

A family of cats patrol the herb garden for mice and other tasty morsels

Fresh artichokes

Shane Harper provided us with an eye-opening introduction to 

regenerative and sustainable farming

Tomatoes ripening on the vine

Smaller cherry tomatoes

An extraordinary plant that tasted like oysters

These lettuce are being harvested now, with adjacent rows to be harvested 

the following week, and so it goes all season

The lettuce patch with many varieties being grown

White Marigolds

All the herbs and edible flower are staked to show what is being grown

Nastustiums were used as a garnish on our earlier lunch 

Lovely Rhubarb

One of the new crops being grown is Sorghum

Resident Bee Hives

Thousands of buzzing bees

Pasture raised free-range White Rock Hens 

Shane loves his family of hens and proud of the way they roam where they wish

The hens were very tame and friendly, as they poked their beaks out for some love

restaurantpearlmorissette.com/approach

Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan Station

Home to one of Canada’s most celebrated restaurants, award-winning Restaurant Pearl Morissette offers an ambitious fine dining experience featuring an ever changing prix-fixe menu composed of the highest quality ingredients of the Niagara region, founded by chefs Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson who opened the restaurant in 2017. Inspired by their time spent working in Paris and rural Belgium, they realized that to cook the best, they’d need to grow the best, underscored by a mastery of classic culinary techniques. Seasonal ingredients, many of them sourced by in-house gardener Shane Harper on their regenerative farm, are prepared with a modern European sensibility. "Our restaurant is founded on a holistic approach of regenerative practices and processes. Working with our regional purveyors, our food and wine are a reflection of our local ecosystem and the land we inhabit." An ode to Canadian seafood, Restaurant Pearl Morissette is fully committed to using and showcasing the produce and crops from Ontario, be it fresh water fish from the Great Lakes, pasture reared Muskovy duck, Niagara peaches or free range pork. 

Arriving for a wonderful Sunday lunch with my husband, brother and sister-in-law, Restaurant Pearl Morissette sits on the top floor of a big modern black barn rising regally above a quiet field in the heart of Jordan Station, with glorious scenery through floor-to-ceiling windows of the surrounding farmland. Beginning with a bottle of Pearl Morissette Rosé, we were treated to a sensational 10-course menu featuring fresh scallops from Mahone Bay, West Coast Dungeness crab, grilled East Coast lobster, butter poached Upstate Abundance potatoes with Wild Acadian sturgeon caviar, slow grilled West Coast Halibut and much more, all seasoned and garnished with garden grown fresh herbs and vegetables. Service was sensational, finding the delicious balance between country casual and fine-dining polish. Award-winning Restaurant Pearl Morissette deserves every one of its well-earned accolades, and we each look forward to our next culinary journey to this little corner of paradise. 

Entrance to the sleek Black Barn of Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Niagara's Jordan Station

Follow the red cardinal with a fork and spoon in "hand"

The second floor of the barn is home to Restaurant Pearl Morissette

The open kitchen of Restaurant Pearl Morissette

Acclaimed Ontario-reared chefs Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson

Black-Eyed Susans picked fresh from the garden decorate each table

We selected a 2022 Pearl Morissette Roselana 'Rosé' which our server said 

was more like a Tavel in terms of its flavour profile and rich deep colour

Canadian winemaker François Morissette ‘Roselana’ is a blend of pinot noir, gamay, merlot, 

and lemberger, for a unique rosé that is rich, dry and delicious

Fresh scallops from Mahone Bay N.S. served with Sungold tomatoes, red currants, 

tomato water pearls, lemon thyme on panna cotta and garnished with herbs from the garden

'Carrot Crisp' from Cookstown Greens filled with scallop and lobster roe paté and dried chilies

presented on a bed of dried chilis for dramatic effect

West Coast Dungeness crab served in a roasted Alisa Craig onion with allspice, butter, peaches, brunoise onion and peach vinaigrette served on a bed of salt garnished with fresh bay leaves

Presentation of the Duck from Back-to-Nature Organics, for course #8

Whipped St. Brigid's Butter

Sourdough Bread made with Einkorn and hard Red Spring Wheat 

was warm and deliciously squishy

Grilled East Coast Lobster glazed in Badger Flame Beet reduction,

served with a Badger Flame Beet crumble, nectarine pineapple sage and orange thyme

Butter Poached Upstate Abundance Potatoes with Wild Acadian sturgeon caviar, 

glazed peas, smoked egg, mussels and tarragon emulsion

Slow Grilled West Coast Halibut with bay leaf buerre monté, pickled kohlrabi, 

white currants and onion purée

Roasted Duck from Back-to-Nature Organics with caraflax cabbage, marinated yellow plums, 

plum vinaigrette and harukei turnip purée

Roasted Pork from Linton Pasture, chanterelle mushrooms, cold pressed sunflower oil, 

prickly ash, roasted zucchini and spinach purée and garnished with nasturtium leaves

Alfred le Fermier cheese from Fromagerie La Station in Compton, Québec

served with honeycomb from Miels d'Anicat

Marinated Cherries from Bizjak Farm served with Sake Lees Mousse,

shiso and rice from Fraser Valley cooked in sweetgrass 

Strawberries from Bizjak Farm served with a strawberry reduction, 

meadowsweet iced cream, meadowsweet chantilly, sweet cicely pods and sorrel

Black Koji Iced Cream Sandwich made with a black koji cookie,

toasted walnut iced team and candied hazelnuts

Good to the last bite...

The grand harvest table in the centre of Pearl Morissette

Enormous housemade Sourdough Bread with Miels honeycomb on the right and 

Alfred le Fermier cows milk cheese under glass on the harvest table

View of Restaurant Pearl Morissette 

View of Restaurant Pearl Morissette Barn from the wild flower garden,

where we were to meet Shane for a garden tour after our 10-course lunch

 

restaurantpearlmorissette.com

Pasture-Raised Roast Chicken

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of chef Daniel Hadida, Restaurant Pearl Morissette

3 1/2- to 4-lb pasture-raised chicken 

Sea salt

Juice of half a small lemon

Coarse sea salt for serving

Remove the wishbone from the chicken by pushing the tip of a knife through the neck cavity and running it up each side of the bone, then hook your finger behind the bone and twist it out. This will help with easier carving after roasting. Dry the chicken in the fridge on a roasting rack set over a plate for 24 hours. This will concentrate the flavour and encourage better skin crisping. 

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bring the air-dried chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting. Truss the legs with kitchen string and pull them back from the body. Make sure any torn skin is covering the meat. Season liberally inside and out with salt. Set on a roasting rack in a shallow pan so air can circulate around the chicken. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the inner thigh near the breast without touching the bone reaches 165°F, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, then rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Place the chicken on cutting board and remove the rack from pan. Carve chicken and put the pieces back into the pan, skin-side up. Turn on broiler and broil for 1 minute, just to get the skin crispy again after resting. For a sauce, simply squeeze the lemon juice into the pan drippings, then drizzle over the meat. Sprinkle with a touch of coarse sea salt and serve.

Fresh Goat Milk Custard with Farm Fruit

Serves 12

Recipe courtesy of chefs Eric Robertson & Daniel Hadida, Restaurant Pearl Morissette

Fresh Goat Curd:

2 litres raw goat’s milk

1/8 oz salt

2 tbsp buttermilk

Custards: 

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

5 tbsp beaten whole eggs — about 1 1/2 eggs, beaten

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 sheets silver strength leaf gelatine, bloomed in cold water

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp sour cream

5 1/4 oz fresh goat milk curd

2 tbsp cider vinegar

3 1/2 oz damson plums, plus 1 to serve raw per serving

One fat fig per serving

A few leaves of verbena

Start by preparing the goat curd. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring milk to 90°F. Remove from heat, add salt and buttermilk and stir. Pour into glass, heat-proof container, ideally half-filled. Cover and lay on side in warm room (73°F minimum) for 12 to 30 hours until milk has clabbered (clumps into a jelly-like substance). A sealed Mason jar works well here. Milk should have a nutty aroma. Drain milk through fine cheesecloth and hang in fridge for 2 to 3 days with a bowl underneath to catch liquid. Discard whey.

To make the custards, combine cream, 1/4 cup sugar, eggs and egg yolk and cook to 175°F over a double boiler. Bloom gelatin in a bowl of cold water and incorporate into warm egg mixture (anglaise). Pass liquid through fine sieve twice to ensure no lumps. Blend in sour cream and fresh goat curd. Allow to cool to room temperature and season with cider vinegar. Pour into moulds and freeze until firm. 

Cook the remaining sugar until a deep brown caramel, do not allow scorch, or it will become bitter. Cook the plums down separately until their juices have thickened. Purée until very smooth. Blend half of the jam into the cooled caramel.

To plate, remove the goat custard from freezer 20 minutes prior to serving. Thinly slice the fig and reserved plum. Pour one teaspoon of plum caramel onto the plate, place the tempered goat custard on top. Top the custard with a dollop of plum jam, arrange the plum and fig slices in an eye-catching fashion over the jam-topped custard, season with a few grains of sea salt, and top with small leaves of lemon verbena.