Match of the week
Spiced parsnip soup with Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted
Although I’ve tasted some good wines this week it’s beer that has provided the highlights. The Magic Rock Rapture amber ale I drank at The Pint Shop in Cambridge with their awesome beer brined chicken was pretty good but it’s pipped into the ‘drink of the week’ slot by this pairing at The Hole in the Wall in Little Wilbraham
It was the first course of a tasting menu: a spiced parsnip soup with warm pork rillettes and some julienne strips of apple, a perfect contrast to Harviestoun’s Bitter and Twisted a smooth, slightly sweet 4.2% blonde ale which picked up perfectly on the sweetness of the parsnip and savouriness of the rillettes.
Soups are quite difficult to match with drinks - one liquid with another never seems entirely appropriate - but with some ingredients like root vegetables beer does a better job than wine.
The pairing was one of a number of immensely clever pairings by the restaurant’s sommelier Joel Servy who (unusually for a Frenchman!) turns out to be quite a beer aficionado, albeit the other matches were wines.
You can read more about the Hole in the Wall - a strong recommendation if you’re staying in Cambridge or want a day out of London - in my latest restaurant review here.
Charcuterie and Beaujolais
With the unseasonally warm weather showing no signs of a let-up it’s time to revisit the classic combination of French charcuterie and Beaujolais - perfect for picnics and other outdoor eating.
Beaujolais has had a poor press in recent years but at its best - and the recent 2005 vintage is a great year - it’s a charming and seductively summery wine. I recently bought a bottle of 2005 Georges Duboeuf Chiroubles which Waitrose has been selling at the knock down price of £5.99 and it was quite simply delicious - full of vivid red cherry fruit. Many Pinot Noirs have followed the trend of red wines becoming increasingly full-bodied but this was beautifully balanced.
If you don’t pick a ‘cru’ Beaujolais like Chiroubles (there are 10, named after the individual villages in the region), make sure you buy a Beaujolais-Villages, a step-up in quality from basic Beaujolais.
Charcuterie, for those of you who are not familiar with the term, is a catch-all description for processed meat products, mainly based on pork. It includes pâtés, terrines (such as the Terrine Beaujolais featured today), rillettes, all kinds of preserved sausages (saucisson sec) and air-dried ham. A good selection with some cornichons (small pickled cucumbers) and a crusty baguette makes a fine meal.
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