What’s New
A taste of Puglia
Tacco (786 Fulham Road) was founded by Marco Fedele and Fulham local Gianluca d’ Aversa as a result of a “deep love and longing” for their homeland. Their deli/wine bar which opened mid-September is a realisation of their dream to showcase the best of Puglian produce and culture. Marco told us “Puglia can often be a little forgotten compared to other regions of Italy, but the depth and quality of what’s made by many of the artisan producers in this area stand up to the best from anywhere else in the country”.
At Tacco, customers can browse their range of handpicked 100% Puglian food and wine products and either purchase them to enjoy at home or visit the deli/wine bar where they can enjoy a glass of wine and a selection of cured charcuterie, cheeses, breads and typical Apulian snacks. Sounds like a great way to break up Tier Two monotony! As well as food and wine from Puglia, Tacco are selling classic ceramics and pottery from the region and if you’re dreaming of a trip to Italy you can browse magazines, information about the region and talk to staff who are on hand to give you advice on travelling to the area, intel on all the best places to visit and and things to do.
They also have a great on line shop where you can purchase wine, beer, Kombucha, sauces and of course a great selection of pasta (Spaghetti Nero, Orecchiette, Cavatelli). Why the name “Tacco”? Well, for those of you who don’t speak Italian, it means “heel” which is where the region of Puglia also known as the “Heel of Italy’s boot” is located.
Parsons Nose supports new charity
Beder is a new charity that intends to increase understanding and reduce fear around the topics of mental health and suicide by reaching young and diverse audiences through a range of exciting partnerships and initiatives. The charity was started and named after Beder Mirjan “a giant of a young man, with a witty sense of humour and infectious laugh, who was gentle, caring, polite and kind natured. Beder was always surrounded by love and due to start university with a bright future ahead of him. However, he took the unexpected decision to take his own life at the age of 18 in April 2017”.
Parsons Nose were approached by Beder’s founder, Wimbledon resident Razzak Mirjan to ask if, as his local butcher, they could donate the meat for the photography in their charity cookbook ‘From Beder’s Kitchen’. Released on November 2 the book is a collection of recipes and reflections from global foodies including head and executive chefs at some of the UK’s leading restaurants, Master Chef winners, TV chefs, food bloggers and mental health advocates. As well as recipes there are insights about looking after their own mental health and how food has played a part in that. Each chapter has a different theme: Start your day the right way, Happy Gut, Happy life, Soul Food and Sweet Treats. All proceeds from the book will support Beder in the charity’s work to raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention.
Parsons Nose’s sister company Planet Eat TV is also supporting the charity by filming a mini-series that will be hosted on their channel (read all about Planet Eat TV here https://www.urbanvillageldn.com/whats-new-february?rq=planet%20eat). Some of the chefs that have been finalised for the series and have contributed to the book are: Ollie Templeton (Head Chef at award wining London restaurant Carousel), Jose Pizarro (critically acclaimed Spanish chef and owner of three London restaurants), Miles Kirkby (New Zealand born co-founder of Caravan restaurants) and Lily Vanilli (self taught baker/bakery owner).
From Beder’s Kitchen can be purchased direct from the Beder website and is also available from Waterstone’s. From what we’ve seen it looks beautifully put together and we love the concept. We think it would make a lovely gift whilst supporting a worthy charity especially in light of the mental health issues experienced during lockdown which sadly are on going and far reaching.
Learn to Cook with Sal
Fulham resident Salima Dhalla is a private chef, specializing in vegetarian and vegan cooking, who pre COVID also worked as a retreat chef. After running successful “cook along courses” during lockdown she recently launched an on line membership platform. Full of recipes, videos and resources Sal looks at food and cooking from an intuitive rather than a technical perspective and told Urban Village LDN “my food is a true reflection of me and my love of intuitively curated eating. I cook from the heart and soul, tailoring menus, dishes and the entire experience to you, the environment and the seasons. Inspired by a multicultural heritage, London upbringing and amazing local seasonal producers”.
You can head to her virtual kitchen for just £10 a month, or take an annual membership for £100, where you’ll get instant access to baking and recipe tutorials, the digital version of her book: Ten Steps To A More Joyful Relationship With Food, find kitchen hacks, get a 20% discount off all existing and future on line classes AND exclusive live sessions (approximately every six weeks) themed around practical cooking. Sal’s upcoming Zoom classes include “Winter Veggie Magic” (7 Nov/6 Dec) helping you get the most out of winter veggies, with versatile cooking techniques to add flavour all year round and “Curry in a Hurry “ (26 Nov) featuring Sal’s Grandmother's recipes and ones she created that were inspired by her cooking.
Head to Sal’s web-site to find about more about her story, a wealth of information on the courses she runs or to buy an e-gift card, a voucher that can be redeemed against up coming live or on demand classes. A great Christmas/birthday present idea for anyone in your life but especially vegetarian/vegan uni students, teens who are learning to cook or those who need to add a bit more of an instinctive flair to their culinary skills. If like us you’re attached to a recipe, we feel like a kid taking their trainer wheels off their bike for the first time, get in touch with Sal who’d love to hear from you and wants to connect more with the the Fulham community https://www.instagram.com/foodwitchsal/?hl=en
Planet Plenty
This local independent family run business opened their first store on Fulham High Street (25-29) mid September offering a mix of convenience and specialty products. Their second shop on Wandsworth Bridge Road (previously Frescho) will be transforming and officially opening later this month. We spoke to owner Ruth Knaggs who used to live in Fulham, before she headed over the bridge to Putney, about what us locals can expect to find in store.
“We sit somewhere between convenience and specialty, that’s why we are PLANET PLENTY - we have something for everyone, at affordable prices! Great Italian and French delights nestle against tasty vegan, Organic and Free From products. You can even find ethically sourced British farmed Co-op items. You really can’t put a tag on us. We’re the place where you can get a bag of chicken nuggets, an organic loose lemon, Rude Health almond milk, Clearspring Miso paste, a box of lemon chai vegan biscuits , Reblochon de Savoie French cheese and an Ecover bathroom spray all in one shop ... and a delicious bottle of wine for any occasion”.
We’re looking forward to checking out their range, exotic fruits that you won’t find in a supermarket, organic and vegan wines and we are definitely going to be stocking up on their bone broths for winter and test testing their range of Gluten and Dairy free cake mixes. Ruth told us that, as well as adding to their range recently with freshly baked bread and home made bouquets, they’re particularly proud of their loose fruit and veg section and want to keep evolving, surprising and making sure their customers are happy. Take away coffee and an Eco fill station are a taste of more to come. “Plenty of good choice in a welcoming setting. That’s what we’re about” sounds good to us Ruth!
Luxury Ready Meals
We know we’ve already talked about Parsons Nose but this is hot off the press! We were lucky enough to have been invited to taste test their new range of ready meals and now you can try them too we had to report back, give you the low down and tell you what we thought. “Designed not to feel the guilt by cheating with a ready meal” and made up of fresh free range, healthy ingredients and prime cuts, these dishes are family friendly; suitable for grown ups and kids alike. All the dishes are low in sugar and salt with a choice of 5 options in the range (4 meat and 1 vegetarian) and we think they’re well priced at £6 (serves 2) which compares well with a known range stocked in supermarkets which is the only ready meal we’ll ever feed our families; yes we’re food snobs. You can also buy them in a bundle x 5 meals for £25. Check out the full range on their website (hit the link below) or pick them up in store and pop them in the freezer if you wish but in the meantime here’s some food for thought (like what we did there - sorry couldn’t resist) on our stand out favourites.
First up Mac & cauliflower cheese with sourdough crumb - I mean come on why didn’t WE think of this combo? Loved it! Great way to get veggies into the dish/kids. Cauliflower and macaroni cheese are two of our comfort food dishes and we thought the Parsons Nose version was uutterly delicious! Couldn’t fault it! The cheese wasn’t too cheesy if that makes sense ie it wasn’t over powering or cloying. The crumb was a nice touch – not a fan of croutons etc but this gave the dish a nice tasty crunch. We’re not bad in the kitchen but unlike other pasta dishes which are easy to make, as are the sauces to go with, mac n cheese is often a faff even more so if you’re a Mum with small kids, juggling hungry post footie boys or simply fancy a bit of a night off from standing over a hot stove.
Next up Chicken Tikka Makhani - wow as soon as we peeled the film off this dish the smell was A-MAZING! Such a delicious waft of aromas and we love that this dish is gluten free. The spicing was just right ie not too hot but not too pathetic. We’re a bit odd and have an aversion to chicken thighs but we weren’t phased as you couldn’t tell they were thighs more nice pieces/chunks of chicken and the meat quality was ridiculously tender!
All the dishes are easy to cook simply peel off the film, whack in the oven and done. The dish tray wasn’t too flimsy either (you know what we mean) but we’d definitely recommend placing on a tray. Highly recommend giving these ready meals a trial - they’re quality, fresh and delicious and let’s face it we all like a night off cooking even if it’s once in a while.