Underground Supper Club

The most wonderful thing happens when you come across something that has been mulling around your head that actually exists and is more accessible than you had thought. For me Supper clubs are it!

The whole notion of announcing your dinner, designing a menu, sourcing the ingredients, finding a venue, getting willing helpers, hoping people will come, and not cocking it up is in some micro-way the same as having you own restaurant. With a lot less risk. If you think of all the chefs that you admire and have seen in the flesh doing what they do best ever wondered if you could do the same? You can and people do.

I got in touch with the now infamous Ms. Marmitelover via her blog The English can Cook soon after her first week in business. She welcomed my request to help immediately and off to Kiburn I went. Now on its fourth Saturday Ms. Marmitelover is transporting her diners to Mexico by way of Brondesbury. Other unique dining experiences such as Horton Jupiter’s in Newington Green proves the abundance.

(Marmites homely culinary HQ)

Many supper clubs are popping up all over the place, and long may they thrive. At a time when cash is tight, people are more knowledgeable about food and the abilty to quickly disseminate information via t’internet the climate is perfect for a move away from more traditional food experiences.

Its not that the proprietors of these supper clubs want to undermine the restaurant industry in some anarchic way but are increasingly finding that the reaction they get from the diner is that it offers so much more that just a more reasonably priced meal. Social exchange with like mined others, an insight in the home of others etc.

Being given a whole set menu designed by an enthusiast is, in my mind, vastly better than the tedium of glaring at monotonous bound menu with needless subdivisions that are based more on price and fashion with a keen eye for the profit margin. Also if you in someone else’s house being served by their friends and family who cares if the service is not attentive and timing is not too rigorous. The informality and personalisation irons out all the usual gripes of conventional dining.

Seek and devour your local supper club… feed the phenomenon!

Spam Scotch Egg

Spam Scotch Eggs. (Makes 4)

One can Spam chopped as finely as possible
4 eggs soft boiled
3 Spring onions finely sliced
One clove Garlic pureed
Flour
Whisked egg
Breadcrumbs
Oil for frying

First make the Spammy meat mixture, mix the very finely chopped Spam with one egg the spring onions and garlic with a pinch of salt.




Place mixture on a lightly oiled sheet of clingfilm in a circle roughly 7” in diameter. Place the soft boiled egg on top. Gather the clingfilm at the corners and pull up engulfing the egg in the meat mixture. Twist clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the parcels to firm up.



Place flour breadcrumbs and whisked egg in three different flat containers. When rested carefully unwrap the eggs in Spam and coat in flour then egg and finally the bread crumbs. Rest aging for another 30 minutes. Fry in 2cm of oil until golden, drain on kitchen paper and much while still warm…no one will know you used Spam….