Author: angela

Our next stop on Ginger’s Christmas truck tour is Bolton, to visit a fantastic Relief Chef Karl! Karl started off his career through a college placement at Heathcote’s. As soon as he came of age, he flew the nest and headed for the Channel Islands, settling on a little island called Herm. Karl worked every summer on Herm at a big old-school kitchen climbing his way up the ladder. He spent the, winter months looking for work to better his skills, which took him to Dartmoor and Scotland. Eventually, he returned to Herm, to take over The Whitehouse as Head Chef, gaining 2 rosettes.

 

Festive Scones

Ingredients

• 350g Self Raising Flour
• ¼ Teaspoon of salt
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 85g Cold Butter (cubed)
• 4 Tablespoons of sugar
• 150g Natural Yoghurt
• 4 Tablespoons of Milk (full Fat)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
• ¼ teaspoon Allspice
• 1 Nutmeg for grating
• 1 Egg for glaze
• 1 Tablespoon of dried cranberries (optional)
• 1 Jar of Jersey Black butter for garnish

 

Preparation

1. Add together flour, salt, baking powder and butter in a food processor. Blend until the mixture resembles crumbs
2. In a saucepan, warm the yoghurt, milk, spices, sugar, and cranberries. Allow the mixture to split and curdle then remove from heat and cool to body temperature
3. Add the wet mixture to the crumble mix and work together to form a dough. Making sure not to overwork
4. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
5. Roll out the mixture on a floured surface until around 1 inch thick
6. Use a ring cutter (6cm) and cut out scones. Place on a lined baking tray
7. In a small bowl whisk the egg until completely smooth
8. Using a pastry brush glaze scones evenly and allow them to stand
9. With a Fine grater, grate the Nutmeg. Only a little as even as possible over the scones
10. Bake scones at 200c for 13 minutes
11. Allow them to cool on a resting rack
12. Serve scones with Jersey black butter instead of Jam, this gives the scones a minced pie flavour

Introducing Matt! A chef with 18 years’ experience. Matt has worked all over the country as a Ginger Relief Chef, as well as previously working in Portugal, Greece and Malta! He has vast catering experience, including well known events such as Chester and Cheltenham races, with the highlight of his career seeing him cook for the Royal Family. We can’t wait to try Matt’s Recipe… a winter warmer Christmas soup.

 

Winter Warmer Christmassy Soup

Ingredients

• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 Onion chopped
• 3 Parsnips peeled rough chopped
• 1 butternut squash peeled and diced
• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• Optional : Chilli, Curry Powder, Cranberries

 

Preparation

1. In a pan fry off 1 chopped onion, 3 parsnips, and 1 butternut squash, 2 potatoes peeled and chopped all similar sizes so that they cook even
2. Combine the ingredients and when the vegetables start getting colour on them and soft cover with the vegetables stock until all the vegetables are cooked and soft
3. check for seasoning and garnish your soup with dried cranberries and a drizzle of cream
4. You can add chillies or curry powder for a different spin on the same soup if you want!

Bachara was born in Lebanon before relocating to Sweden with an incredible mother who could cook the most amazing food and a father running his own Mediterranean restaurant. By age 7, he knew his passion lay in food, and worked closely with his mother to master her dishes. Bachara started to help out at his dad’s restaurant at age 13, this inspired him to gain formal education where he learnt classic French cuisine. After this, Bachara travelled all over Europe cooking, spending time on private yachts and cruise ships. He then came to England 20 year’s ago and developed his skills further over the years. Bachara says his best accomplishment was winning Cheshire life best restaurant of the year 2008/2009 as well as opening many successful restaurant’s over the years. He now spends his time continuing to learn and develop himself whilst teaching everything he knows to junior chefs.

 

 

Bacha’s classic Swedish Christmas ham

Christmas ham ingredients

• 3 kg Christmas ham (rimmed)
• 8 allspice grains
• 2-3 bay leaves

 

 Grilling for Christmas ham ingredients

• 1 dl Swedish mustard (mixed with Scanian or Colman’s)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1-2 dl breadcrumbs

 

Cooked Christmas ham preparation

1. Put the ham in boiling water with the peppercorns plus the bay leaves.
2. The cooking time is estimated at about 1 hour/kilo
3. Turn the heat down so it simmers, not boils. Let the Christmas ham cook for about 3 hours
4. Feel free to use a thermometer. It is pressed in and should be at the top, so you can see it
5. The Christmas ham is ready at around 68 degrees
6. Remove your Christmas ham and let it cool
7. Save some rind but remove some

 

 Grilling preparation

1. Whisk together eggs, mustard plus sugar to form a grill ring
2. Spread over the rind, then the breadcrumbs
3. Set your Christmas ham in the oven, 200 degrees for about 5 – 10 minutes

 

Day 4! Meet Luis, a chef from Madeira Island.  Luis has worked as a chef for 7 years, always passionate, with a true love for cheffing. Luis is one of the few chefs lucky enough to be on Ginger’s ‘Accredited List’. Luis is reliable, highly skilled and has a fantastic client satisfaction record. His work ethic and dedication to the role makes him a brilliant chef, and we are proud to have him as part of team Ginger. See below his recipe for Carne de vinha d’alhos. Yum!

 

 

Carne de vinha d’alhos (Vine d’garlic meat) with sautéed sweet potato

Ingredients

• 800g of Diced Pork Loin
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Thyme Fresh
• Chilli
• 8 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Cloves
• 200 ml of White Wine
• 100 ml White Wine Vinegar
• 2 Chuchu (Chayote)
• 4 Sweet Potatoes
• 1 tbsp of Lard Olive Oil
• Rustic Bread
• Oranges
• Fresh Parsley
• Side Salad
• Salt
• Pepper

 

Preparation

1. In a container add the pork loin, bay leaves, thyme, fresh chilli, crushed garlic and the cloves, freshly ground pepper, white wine,100 ml of vinegar and olive oil, mix very well
2. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for two to three days
3. Place the marinade in a saucepan, season with salt, add the peeled and diced chuchu (chayote) cover and let cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until the meat is tender
4. Wash the sweet potatoes and cook them in water seasoned with salt for about 20 minutes or until they are soft. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into slices
5. In a large frying pan, heat the lard with a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the potatoes until they are golden. Season with freshly ground pepper
6. Arrange the slices of bread on one side of the platter and the oranges cut into half moons on the other. Place the meat and sauce in the centre. Sprinkle with chopped parsley
7. Serve with the sweet potato slices sprinkled with chopped parsley and a side salad

 

 

Next up is a fantastic recipe from Marcus Pingriff who represents Ginger as a Relief Front of House professional nationwide! Marcus is an outgoing, passionate senior member of the Ginger Front of House team, having owned a variety of boutique hotels, he has an array of experience and skills to take to any venue. Marcus has worked for many Ginger prestigious clients, including roles such as Senior Housekeeper and General Manager within multi rosette establishments. Read on for Marcus’ favourite Christmas cocktail… Jingle Juice!

 

 

Jingle Juice Cocktail:

Ingredients

• 1-part cranberry juice
• 1-part apple juice
• 2-part Moscato sweet red wine
• 1 part Prosecco
• 1/2-part vodka
• 2 table spoon frozen cranberries
• Mint leaves
• Lime wedge

 

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a crusher and blend for 10 seconds
2. Dip rim of glass in lime juice and sugar the glass
3. Serve over crushed ice

 

Meet Jack, one of our brilliant Relief Front of House team at Ginger Hospitality. Jack has an abundance of experience within the Hospitality industry, primarily providing management and leadership across bars in various establishments of different levels. His most recent position working for Ginger as Relief Bar Supervisor within a Private Members Club has seen him showcasing our clients’ fantastic drinks menu. This includes their exclusive English Sparkling Wine collection, as well as cocktails and gins garnished with estate grown fruit and herbs. Considering Jack’s years of experience behind the bar, it seemed only right to make him our next recipe for Ginger’s Christmas tour!

 

 

Shining star martini

Ingredients

• Martini glass chilled
• 25 ml Frangelico
• 25 ml Baileys
• 25 ml chocolate liqueur (Mozart preferably)
• Chocolate bitters
• 2 tbsp honey
• Honeycomb chocolate for garnish
• Golden syrup in a squeeze bottle for the glass

 

Preparation

1. Dry shake all the measurements of liquor with a coiled spring from the strainer inside
2. After chilling the glass; place the leftover ice in the shaker and then create a star design inside the glass stretching up from the base to the top of the wall of the glass
3. Reshake the cocktail with the ice and double strain into the glass
4. Garnish with either honeycomb chocolate/ honeycomb itself crushed and sprinkled on top, either in a star shape or in a neat pile on top, could also make it a rim for the glass itself

 

Our recipe today is from Craig, who is a Food and Beverage Manager as well as an amazing member of our Front of House bridge at a lovely 5 red star Pride of Britain Hotel. He oversees all Food and Beverage across the hotel including their 3-rosette restaurant. Craig’s experience in multi rosette establishments and independent award-winning luxury hotels makes him the perfect candidate for our Christmas truck tour! His cocktail ‘Penicillin’ came from Sam Ross whilst he was working at milk and honey in New York! A great winter drink that always battles off a cold!

 

 

The Penicillin Cocktail

Ingredients

• Lagavulin 16, laphroig
• Ginger liqueur
• honey water
• lemon juice
• Garnish: candied ginger

 

Preparation

1. Add ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake untill it’s well chilled
2. Strain over a rocks glass over ice
3. Top with a shot of laphroig
4. Garnish with candied Ginger

England’s National Culinary Team was awarded gold and silver medals at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg, which took place between 26-30 November.

The event is held every four years and is known to be the second largest culinary competition in the world.

This year, the senior England team was made up of coach Paul Dickinson; team captain Adam Thomason; Ed Marsh; Jamie Gibbs; Jamie Stones; Stacey Harris; Samantha Rain; Tomas Krasnan; and culinary artist Chris Zammit.

The team were given a silver medal for their Edible Buffet and achieved gold after serving 110 covers for the Restaurant of the Nations task, beating 29 other countries in the process.

Dickinson said: “To represent the country is such an honour and a huge achievement and to bring back home gold and silver medals in this world culinary event is excellent and extremely rewarding.”

England’s junior team also won bronze in the Edible Buffet event and silver while cooking for 70 covers.

The junior team were nearly all alumni of University College Birmingham, with the group including Angelina Adamo; Elliott Lawn; Rebecca Bourne; Jude Andrews; Jamie MacDonald; Luke Jeffs; Alahgi Jadema; and chef lecturer Jack Gameson.

They were supported by team manager Matthew Shropshall, three-time Culinary Olympic gold medal winner Richard Taylor, and Mark Hill, executive chef at the House of Commons.

Peter Griffiths, president of the British Culinary Federation, said: “Both senior and junior teams have performed exceptionally well in Luxembourg. Representing the country is a huge responsibility and an immense financial commitment for the BCF.”

The British Culinary Federation sent out 22 people to Luxembourg and supported three of its members to register for the World Chefs judging course during the Culinary World Cup.

Source: thecaterer.com

A PUB in Dummer is turning off its lights to highlight the energy crisis in the hospitality industry.

Source: Basingstoke Gazette

In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis many people are turning away from holidays abroad and are focusing more on holidaying in the UK.

The UK has a number of popular destinations, with Cumbria being a favourite among them with its breathtaking coast and world-renowned Lake District.

To decide whether Cumbria can be considered the ‘staycation’ captial of the UK, local hotels have been suggesting why they think the area is a favourite amongst tourists.

The Derwentwater Hotel is located just outside Keswick, in the heart of the Lake District and is the beneficiary of some of Cumbria’s most beatiful landscapes.

Gemma Scott, front of house manager at the Derwentwater Hotel, explained why she thinks Britons are opting to go on ‘staycations’ rather than going abroad.

She said: “It is getting more and more expensive to go abroad, prices have gone up since the pandemic and its more cost effective to stay in the country.”

Ms Scott believes that the natural environment plays a big part in attracting tourists to the county.

She said: “It’s the Lake District, the scenery, the walking, the fresh air and the open spaces.

“Also the locals, you can walk into any pub, hotel or establishment and chat to someone.

“In Keswick, there is something for everyone, it’s home away from home.”

 

 

As part of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and as we head into the winter months, tourism in Cumbria has dipped from its previous highs.

Ms Scott says that hotels like the Derwentwater should use this time to make sure they are ready for the influx of tourists when the weather starts to get warmer next year – but also recognise that tourism in the county does not stop after summer.

She said: “We make sure we do what we can in the winter to make sure we are ready for Spring.

“We start renovating, we upgrade boilers and rooms.
“Tourism in the Lakes now is 365 days a year; people are seeing that through the winter there is more to see because it is quieter. It’s an all year round destination.”

‘Strange days for the hospitality industry’
Meanwhile, in Carlisle, Yann Bescombes, general manager at The Halston, echoed Ms Scott’s words about the cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic.

He said: “These are strange days for tourism and the hospitality industry.

“On one hand, following Covid and lockdown, people are wanting to fly abroad, and on the other, with the economic gloom forecasted, people decide to staycation.

“We anticipate some tough times ahead, with a rise on pretty much everything.

“The only way hospitality can survive is by providing genuine customer service, good food and warm atmosphere, creating memories.”

Mr Bescombes also believes that Carlisle does attract tourists but has to discover its own identity to continue to grow its tourist scene.

He said: “Carlisle as a location could do better, we are attracting holiday makers going to Scotland and stopping on the way, or Scots on the way south.

“We need to find our identity as a destination in order to secure the ‘two night or more stays’ market to have shops, local attractions, bars, and restaurant to take advantage of the tourism.”

 

Source: News and Star