The phone rings. "Hey Bill, fancy a Nespresso and guy stuff with George on Lake Como?" No thanks! "How about a burger and coke with the Domestic Goddess herself?" Sorry, no can do!
Yes, for years Cuisine de Pompey has resisted the onslaught of glamorous junkets and freebies thrown our way. In reality, what actually happens is we're asked to review the latest menu from some chain restaurant relaunching itself onto an unsuspecting public, or offered a free meal at the new local chop house, and we've always refused because it compromises our independence - or at least that could be the perception of our legions of readers.
So when Fi from Weber Shandwick got in touch to say that she does the PR for the Batchelors Peas account and would I like to participate in their Fish Shop Friday, I hung up on George's people pdq and weighed up the options.
What the hell, I thought. It's about time we reaped the rewards of ten years blogging for the people of Southsea. I'd heard of Bloggers and Vloggers making six figures out of their sponsors, and that's a lot of beans. Well, we were finally going to make us some peas!
I checked with Fi to make sure she knew we were the NME of food blogging and would bar no holds if even one of those peas didn't come up to scratch. She seemed fine with this, so I signed on the 'sell your soul' line and waited for the sponds to roll in.
Fish Shop Friday
Batchelors have teamed up with the Deep Blue fish and chip chain to sell the 'Guacamole of the North' (mushy peas to you) alongside their cod and chips, so we were invited to a Beano-style slap-up meal with peas as a non-negotiable side dish. We failed the first test as we got our fish and chips on a Saturday.
Deep Blue have 17 fish shops around the south of England, stretching from Cheddar to St Leonard's-on-Sea, Huntingdon to, er, Majorca. It has a consistent corporate identity, with a reputation for high quality food and slightly higher prices than other chippies (in Southsea at any rate...can't speak for the Godalming branch where they probably do serve guacamole)
Their fish and chips are very good - no greasy batter here, nor are the chips soggy or soapy (you know that soapy taste you get from cheap chips?) - and for consistent quality DB is a good choice. They also source their ingredients thoughtfully and their recyclable boxes are more convenient that the usual wrapping paper. And the peas? Well, I like mushy peas - my daughters do not, ever since I told them they were made of blended frogs - and Mrs.CdP's from Nottingham where mushy peas are a local delicacy, often taken with a little mint sauce. These peas were as good a mushy pea as any, but they could've been hotter and I think the option of mint sauce would raise their game. I scouted around the DB website but couldn't find a reference to Batchelors, so maybe the tie-in is just a soft launch for now.
The Recipe Challenge
But things didn't didn't end there. Oh no - sorry Nigella, but I have work to do!
Fi sent me a voucher to buy ingredients for a meal 'based around Batchelors products'. I took this to mean peas, and not Pot Noodle or Cup a Soup (also Batchelors products) so I dashed off to Sainsbury's and bought a few bottles of good wine. No, we bought peas! Lots of peas. Unfortunately our local Sainsbury only had mushy or marrowfat - Batchelors do a garden pea but there must have been a run! - so I opted for marrowfat and built my Sunday dinner menu from there.
For our starter it was a choice between pea and coriander spread on crostini or the more traditional pea soup. As it's autumn and heading towards winter I decided on pea and ham soup with a twist, substituting chorizo for ham and adding some warmth with smoked paprika.
Pea and Chorizo Soup
2 x cans Batchelors marrowfat peas
1 Chorizo 'ring' (the kind tied together with a string)
1 onion diced
1 leek sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
600ml chicken stock
2 x tsp smoked paprika
tbsp butter
Melt the butter and sweat the onion, leek and garlic in a lidded pan for 5 minutes over a low heat. Dice 2/3 of the chorizo and add to the pan. Cook over a low heat for 10 mins. Add the drained peas, smoked paprika and stock and simmer for 30 mins. Let the soup cool then blitz or blend to a puree (you can keep some texture if desired) Chop the remaining chorizo and fry it in a dry pan - chorizo has plenty of its own lovely oil to cook in. Serve in a bowl, swirl in a little creme fraiche and sprinkle the crispy chorizo over.
I'd come across recipes for various types of gnocchi incorporating vegetables - peas being one of them - so for the main dish I opted for grilled chicken breast with pea gnocchi and ham and pea garnish.
Chicken Breast with Pea Gnocchi (serves 4)
4 x chicken breasts (free range / organic if you can)
1 x tin Batchelors marrowfat peas pureed
1 x tin Batchelors marrowfat peas whole
200g potatoes
120g plain flour
1 x egg
small packet of diced smoked bacon or pancetta
handful of fresh sage chopped
75g butter
Peel and boil the potatoes. Mash, let cool then add the pureed peas, flour, whisked egg and a pinch of salt. Work the mixture together with a spoon and your hands till it forms a firmish dough. Refrigerate for an hour then shape into small oval shapes. Boil a large pan of water and drop the gnocchi into the pan - the gnocchi are ready when they float to the top. Spoon out and set aside.
Grill or pan fry your chicken however you like it. In a large frying pan melt the butter, add the bacon and sage and saute gently until the bacon is cooked (but not crisp) Toss in the gnocchi and saute for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and add the whole peas, combining everything in the pan.
Serve the chicken and gnocchi, spooning the ham and pea butter mix over.
I had great fun with these recipes and they worked very well. You could use frozen peas, garden peas, any kind of peas really, but the Batchelors marrowfat peas are very tasty and have a fresh and earthy flavour. They were also easy to cook with, and I'd happily serve them alongside chops, fish and chips, mashed potatoes or anything else that goes with peas on the side. And don't forget a cup of peas and vinegar if your organising anything outside this winter.
My thanks to Fi and the team at Weber Shandwick for letting me take part in Fish Shop Friday and the Batchelors recipe challenge. It was a great expearience!
Yes, for years Cuisine de Pompey has resisted the onslaught of glamorous junkets and freebies thrown our way. In reality, what actually happens is we're asked to review the latest menu from some chain restaurant relaunching itself onto an unsuspecting public, or offered a free meal at the new local chop house, and we've always refused because it compromises our independence - or at least that could be the perception of our legions of readers.
| Blended frogs or peas? |
So when Fi from Weber Shandwick got in touch to say that she does the PR for the Batchelors Peas account and would I like to participate in their Fish Shop Friday, I hung up on George's people pdq and weighed up the options.
What the hell, I thought. It's about time we reaped the rewards of ten years blogging for the people of Southsea. I'd heard of Bloggers and Vloggers making six figures out of their sponsors, and that's a lot of beans. Well, we were finally going to make us some peas!
I checked with Fi to make sure she knew we were the NME of food blogging and would bar no holds if even one of those peas didn't come up to scratch. She seemed fine with this, so I signed on the 'sell your soul' line and waited for the sponds to roll in.
Fish Shop Friday
Batchelors have teamed up with the Deep Blue fish and chip chain to sell the 'Guacamole of the North' (mushy peas to you) alongside their cod and chips, so we were invited to a Beano-style slap-up meal with peas as a non-negotiable side dish. We failed the first test as we got our fish and chips on a Saturday.
| Deep Blue in Southsea |
Deep Blue have 17 fish shops around the south of England, stretching from Cheddar to St Leonard's-on-Sea, Huntingdon to, er, Majorca. It has a consistent corporate identity, with a reputation for high quality food and slightly higher prices than other chippies (in Southsea at any rate...can't speak for the Godalming branch where they probably do serve guacamole)
Their fish and chips are very good - no greasy batter here, nor are the chips soggy or soapy (you know that soapy taste you get from cheap chips?) - and for consistent quality DB is a good choice. They also source their ingredients thoughtfully and their recyclable boxes are more convenient that the usual wrapping paper. And the peas? Well, I like mushy peas - my daughters do not, ever since I told them they were made of blended frogs - and Mrs.CdP's from Nottingham where mushy peas are a local delicacy, often taken with a little mint sauce. These peas were as good a mushy pea as any, but they could've been hotter and I think the option of mint sauce would raise their game. I scouted around the DB website but couldn't find a reference to Batchelors, so maybe the tie-in is just a soft launch for now.
The Recipe Challenge
But things didn't didn't end there. Oh no - sorry Nigella, but I have work to do!
Fi sent me a voucher to buy ingredients for a meal 'based around Batchelors products'. I took this to mean peas, and not Pot Noodle or Cup a Soup (also Batchelors products) so I dashed off to Sainsbury's and bought a few bottles of good wine. No, we bought peas! Lots of peas. Unfortunately our local Sainsbury only had mushy or marrowfat - Batchelors do a garden pea but there must have been a run! - so I opted for marrowfat and built my Sunday dinner menu from there.
For our starter it was a choice between pea and coriander spread on crostini or the more traditional pea soup. As it's autumn and heading towards winter I decided on pea and ham soup with a twist, substituting chorizo for ham and adding some warmth with smoked paprika.
Pea and Chorizo Soup
2 x cans Batchelors marrowfat peas
1 Chorizo 'ring' (the kind tied together with a string)
1 onion diced
1 leek sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
600ml chicken stock
2 x tsp smoked paprika
tbsp butter
Melt the butter and sweat the onion, leek and garlic in a lidded pan for 5 minutes over a low heat. Dice 2/3 of the chorizo and add to the pan. Cook over a low heat for 10 mins. Add the drained peas, smoked paprika and stock and simmer for 30 mins. Let the soup cool then blitz or blend to a puree (you can keep some texture if desired) Chop the remaining chorizo and fry it in a dry pan - chorizo has plenty of its own lovely oil to cook in. Serve in a bowl, swirl in a little creme fraiche and sprinkle the crispy chorizo over.
| Gnocchi ready for the pan |
I'd come across recipes for various types of gnocchi incorporating vegetables - peas being one of them - so for the main dish I opted for grilled chicken breast with pea gnocchi and ham and pea garnish.
Chicken Breast with Pea Gnocchi (serves 4)
4 x chicken breasts (free range / organic if you can)
1 x tin Batchelors marrowfat peas pureed
1 x tin Batchelors marrowfat peas whole
200g potatoes
120g plain flour
1 x egg
small packet of diced smoked bacon or pancetta
handful of fresh sage chopped
75g butter
Peel and boil the potatoes. Mash, let cool then add the pureed peas, flour, whisked egg and a pinch of salt. Work the mixture together with a spoon and your hands till it forms a firmish dough. Refrigerate for an hour then shape into small oval shapes. Boil a large pan of water and drop the gnocchi into the pan - the gnocchi are ready when they float to the top. Spoon out and set aside.
| Chicken, pea gnocchi and ham and pea butter |
Grill or pan fry your chicken however you like it. In a large frying pan melt the butter, add the bacon and sage and saute gently until the bacon is cooked (but not crisp) Toss in the gnocchi and saute for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and add the whole peas, combining everything in the pan.
Serve the chicken and gnocchi, spooning the ham and pea butter mix over.
I had great fun with these recipes and they worked very well. You could use frozen peas, garden peas, any kind of peas really, but the Batchelors marrowfat peas are very tasty and have a fresh and earthy flavour. They were also easy to cook with, and I'd happily serve them alongside chops, fish and chips, mashed potatoes or anything else that goes with peas on the side. And don't forget a cup of peas and vinegar if your organising anything outside this winter.
My thanks to Fi and the team at Weber Shandwick for letting me take part in Fish Shop Friday and the Batchelors recipe challenge. It was a great expearience!
The phone rings. "Ramsey? Yes I'd be happy to have dinner at Maze. Ah, Ramsden! Right...yes I'm available..."
"Do you serve peas...?"
"Do you serve peas...?"
