Peddler: Street Food Market

It's been one of those weekends that's just made us realise how lucky we are living in such a fantastic city. There's always something new and exciting going on, and on the food scene this week, the first Peddler street food night market took place.

The event was held in a car park in a generally fairly desolate part of the City Centre, which sounded a bit odd, but the industrial style atmosphere worked really well and plenty of people had wandered down on the Saturday afternoon when we visited. Unsurprising really as there were live bands on throughout the day and the smell of all the delicious street food was wafting around the vicinity. Very inviting and well publicised.

Sheffield favourites Percy and Lily's and Nether Edge Pizza were among the treats on offer, alongside cocktails and coffees from Tamper and beers served from a quirky converted horse trailer, now The Hop Box. It was great to see traders from other cities make the trip too, so we deliberately went for choices we wouldn't ordinarily see on our streets.

Piggie Smalls hot dogs got instant points for their puns. Double smoked, pretty darn huge gourmet hot dogs served with a side order of pig-based wisecracks. Jim plumped for the Amy Swinehouse, which was topped with pulled pork (slow cooked for twelve hours) and a tangy yet sweet BBQ sauce. Top marks for crackling, too.

Mei Mei's Street Cart, hailing from London but currently based in Manchester, took Laura's fancy, with the Beijing classic Jian Bing on the menu. Not something we'd ever even heard of before, this was sort of a cross between a crepe and a Chinese omelette. I went for the fried chicken option, which was stuffed full of spring onions and coriander, beer pickled carrots (which we're seriously tempted to try to recreate ourselves), hoisin and chilli sauce, hot crispy chicken and a wonton cracker. It was vibrant, fresh, different, and really, really tasty. After eating the Jian Bing we went back for their sweet potato chilli fries, served with sriracha mayo. Just scrummy. Overall worth a trip to Manchester!

Peddler is set to be a monthly event, and we look forward to seeing this grow and hopefully have even more traders at the next one.

Cheers,

J&L

Favourite Pubs: The Bath Hotel

There are few things we want from a great pub... namely some great cask beer, bar snacks, comfortable surroundings and the opportunity to finish the night on a "Big Drink". For us the Bath Hotel has all of this in spades.

With six cask beers on draught and two ciders served the same way, the first box is certainly ticked and with a couple of keg fonts available too there is always something for everyone. This pub is under the umbrella of brewery stalwarts Thornbridge, although at the Bath the bar manager Edd entertains a larger selection of beer than most of their other pubs around Sheffield. As there are three guest ales to accompany the 3 Thornbridge casks, the range of beers is always excellent with something new to try.

On the snacking front there is a great array of salted crunchiness including the usual nuts, pretzels, and crisps, but more importantly there are fresh sausage rolls - served warm and prepared onsite to Edd's own recipe and by his fair hands. Tick number two.

The two rooms of the Bath are separated by the bar, with both traditionally decorated, warmly upholstered and lit by large windows. The smaller of the two is quiet and cosy and catered to by a small serving hatch, with the larger being the host of the tap room. The pub itself is tucked away just behind West Street, and is a friendly haven away from the hubbub of the city centre.

The fourth and final tick is certainly a big one, both in terms of drink and tick. The Bath Hotel often has one of its fonts dedicated to a higher strength beer, that is the perfect end to a night. Our favourite example of this is the Arbor Goo Goo G'Joob (try saying that after you've had a couple) - a 12% Maple Imperial Stout and an absolute stonker of a beer. In addition, there is a small but varied and interesting whisky selection that consists of single malts and higher end blends.

The Bath Hotel also plays host to a variety of events, and we're both incredibly excited about their upcoming festival Sheffbrewfest - an independent beer festival which is the brainchild of some of the most passionate people on the Sheffield beer scene. The brewery line up is just ridiculously promising - we spent a good while mulling over which of our favourite breweries aren't actually going to be there (there weren't any). Sheffbrewfest takes place from the 2nd to the 5th of October and there's a rumour that the Mashtuns will be making an appearance behind the bar...

Cheers,

J&L

The Lakes Distillery: The One

Newly making footprints on the whisky scene, The Lakes Distillery has released its statement of intent. The One is a blend of whiskies sourced from around the British Isles, and seems an ingenious way to get people talking about the distillery whilst the building work is still being completed. Here's what we thought...

Nose: Fresh and fruity, initially the nose is almost cider-esque - quite a surprise! This deepens over time with wood and cereal scents coming through and a gentle hint of ginger and cinnamon spice. Right in the background is a tiny hint of olive brininess.

Palate: Sweet, syrupy and smooth. Crisp tannins, almost like a good white wine. Toffee hits the back of the tongue which balances the whole dram nicely. Great easy-drinking whisky, with continually developing complexities.

Finish: The spiciness from the palate lasts really well - a lovely little lingerer that doesn't overpower. A reminder that blends shouldn't be overlooked! Laura slurped her glass clean.

We're also intrigued by the idea of the Founder's Club, whereby members are sent bottles of the first whisky to be produced at the distillery every year as it matures. Proper whisky history in the making!

With gin and vodka set to be produced too (The Lakes Gin is set to be launched this weekend at the Taste Cumbria Food Festival), it's clear that the Lakes Distillery is gearing up for massive things and we will definitely be following their progress.

Cheers,

J&L

Thanks to Ash at the Lakes Distillery for the sample!

Islay 2014: Ardbeg

It's no secret that we absolutely bloody love Ardbeg's whiskies. After a great morning at Lagavulin, we meandered the 1.1 miles along the coast to this site of whisky pilgrimage.

Conveniently arriving just as it approached lunch time, we ate at Ardbeg's acclaimed Old Kiln Cafe, a dining area situated on what was once the malting floor of the distillery. There's oodles of local produce on the menu, and Mrs M's haggis and red onion marmalade jacket potato was definitely a highlight. A delicious Ardbeg Uigedail accompanied the meal (unsurprisingly) very well.

Before our tour, we had a couple of hours to spare in the glorious sunshine with a few drams. The scenery on Islay as a whole is stunning and nowhere more so than along the south coast. I think a few photos might speak for themselves here...

It was then time to head back inside for the tour to begin. Our guide, Gillian, firstly ran us through a brief history of the distillery. Plenty of photos of historical owners the MacDougall family adorn the walls of the old malt house, and we were able to explore areas of the distillery which are now no longer in use including the old wooden malt bins. This introductory element to the tour was really interesting and something a bit different to the other distilleries we've visited.

We were somewhat surprised to find out that Ardbeg is the second smallest distillery on Islay after Kilchoman (having been the largest in the late 1800s), given the prominence and reputation of the distillery. This definitely shows how having a big company behind them (Ardbeg has been owned by LVMH since 2004), with excellent marketing strategies, has worked to their advantage, but by visiting Ardbeg you definitely get behind the corporate sheen and it's clear that the traditional heart of the distillery is still beating strong.

Ardbeg takes advantage of the service provided by the maltings at Port Ellen, so our tour entered the production stage at the mill. 4.5 tons of the peatiest malt on the island (55ppm) is run through the Boby mill before reaching the mashtun. After the nine-hour mashing process is complete, the wort is piped through to the washbacks. The Tun Room is one of my favourite rooms of any distillery, with a rich, warm, beery scent, and they always seem to have an amazing view!

A leisurely wander through the magical stillhouse later, we visited the filling store to witness a few casks being brought back to life by the Ardbeg new make. A huge 80% of their total output goes into single malts, and Ardbeg uses the "marriage" system (not something we were previously familiar with) to create their core range, whereby the whisky contained within 2 casks is mixed together rather than being moved into another cask for finishing.  Of course, no tour would be complete without a dram, and Corryvreckan was today's whisky of choice... definitely in Mrs M's top 5 of all time!

Slainte,

J&L

The Whisky Lounge: World Whisky Review

Set in the glorious first class waiting room of the original Victorian Train Station, the Sheffield Tap once again formed the backdrop to an evening of exploration - this time into the world of whisky. Tonight's offering was our first tasting night brought to us by The Whisky Lounge (although we have been to one of their festivals in the past, which we'd highly recommend). We had an evening of six whiskies from around the world, from some well-known distillers to the smaller and more obscure distilleries from somewhat more unexpected countries. All of the whiskies were drunk as a blind tasting with little clues as to their origin provided by our host Eddie.

The first dram of the night was the only one we've sampled before - Brukswhisky, from Mackmyra in Sweden. This pale, straw coloured whisky was one of our favourites from the 2013 Master of Malt Whisky Advent Calendar (you can see what we thought about it then here). This time round we also got a lovely soft barnyard-y nose of sweet hay, with honey. On the palate the sweetness continued but became more complex as the dram depleted, leaving behind a refreshing minty sensation in the finish. A very well-balanced and delicate dram which made a good start to the evening's proceedings.

We moved on to a good hearty sniff of whisky number two. What a nose! A great combination of salty and savoury with a balance of sweetness culminated in an overall scent akin to a cranberry topped pork pie. More dark fruits came in on the palate, before a robust and fiery finish. This dram turned out to be Penderyn Legend - an as-yet unreleased bottling from Wales' only distillery. Worth looking out for.

The first drink of the evening that wasn't from Europe was the Hellyers Road 'Peated' from Australia - more specifically, Tasmania. Hellyers Road was also the smallest distillery of those showcased during the evening, although it's Tasmania's largest. The dram was a light coloured whisky, with tender hints of coal and a slight industrial nose. The little hints of fire followed through to the palate, accompanied by burnt sugared lime. The carbon flavours continued with an almost graphite pencil nature to the taste. The finish allowed sweetness to develop, with masses of roasted chestnuts.

The line up!

Not usually at the forefront of people's minds when asked to name a whisky-producing country, our next offering came from Taiwan. With one of the oddest combinations on the nose we've experienced in whisky, Kavalan King Car Conductor smelled like a newly painted sweetshop, with rich, candied spiced fruits and the accompaniment of lead based gloss. Surprisingly gentle on the palate with a sticky, syrupy nature, this tasted much older than a comparably-aged Scotch would - a result of the hotter climate in which this whisky is produced.

Something a little closer to home was our penultimate dram: Chapter 15 from The English Whisky Co. This was another whisky with surprises in store - hints of maritime smoke and seaweed on the nose gave way to a taste that was like a vanilla milkshake drank from a goblet of oak. The finish seemed a little abrupt on this dram, but provided welcome tickles of cardamom spice alongside more oakiness.

The final dram of the evening was the only cask strength whisky of the night: the Amrut Intermediate Sherry Cask Matured, weighing in at 57.1% ABV. Like home made marshmallow and caramel on the nose, fruit-cakey spice came through on the palate, which was beautifully well rounded and soft despite the high ABV. Lashings of maple syrup completed the flavour extravaganza, leaving behind a lovely lingering spice and sherry sweetness. This was somewhat predictably the favourite for both of us - what can we say, we're suckers for a cask strength sherry finish!

This was our first experience of being amongst the most seasoned whisky drinkers in the room, with plenty of people present who had never been to a tasting event before. The tone of the evening as a whole was bang on perfect for the audience, with quick run-throughs of the whisky making process without getting bogged down in jargon, coupled with interesting facts and lesser known gems of information, making it accessible to all. Whisky-chat was also rife - never a bad thing!

Cheers,

J&L

Sherry and Tapas Night

Neither of us would pretend to be experts in the world of sherry. In fact, up until last week we knew absolutely nothing about it past Harvey's Bristol Cream - except that we're both particularly partial to a sherry-cask whisky. So when we discovered that the lovely folks at Starmore Boss would be hosting an introduction to sherry, with tapas-style treats from the Rutland Arms, in the name of education we thought it would only be right to attend.

We took our places at this sold-out event in the upstairs room of the Rutland Arms amongst the familiar faces of plenty of Sheffield folk: a healthy mixture of shop owners, bloggers, and other food and drink enthusiasts. We were presented with a pair of glasses, an array of six sherries and selection of meats and bruschetta, and away we went.

1. Fino En Rama by Fernando de Castilla - We were told that this fino, meaning dry, is a great appetiser as the flavour enlivens the palate ready for food. With a nose of sweet prunes, dried raisins and nutty marzipan, the sweetness didn't continue through to the taste and it was on the palate that that this sherry really became a 'fino'. A saltiness licked around the mouth with a really light charred note that matched perfectly with the accompanied Palma ham. The olives too went spectacularly as they added delightfully to the almost briny nature of the drink.

2. Las Medallas Manzanilla De Argueso - Next was another pale sherry, this time smelling of a cliff-top coastal walk with a fresh sea air, coupled with a floral meadow-esque character. On the tongue the richness grew with a lovely long finish. Again, when coupled with the cured meat the flavours sung, but when we ate it with the (absolutely delicious) fresh sardines, the oily nature of the fish added texture to our Manzanilla and enlivened the drink no end.

3. Tio Diego Amontillado by Valdespino - The third drink was a lot sweeter than the first two, with flavours of bushels of apples enhanced with toffee, but through the nose came a spiced, almost Calvados character. This was coupled with a robust oakiness, due to it being aged for a longer time than the previous drinks (a total of 12 years). We were also presented at this point with a course of Patatas Bravas in the Rutland's signature spiced tomato sauce (of Rutty Butty fame), and hot chorizo.

4. Antique Oloroso by Fernando de Castilla - This was the oldest sherry of the evening, aged for around 16-18 years, which became very apparent on the nose as the oaky nature was even clearer than in the Amonillado. Between us, we felt the drink was more familiar as it smelt more like a whisky, due to Oloroso casks often being the main variety of sherry butt used in the maturation and finishing of whisky. The sweetness built on the palate beautifully and due to its complexity left great depths of flavour on the tongue, for a long while after swallowing the unfiltered nectar. When eaten with the spicy chorizo the sherry softened the heat to a lovely palatable warmth.

5. Palo Cortado by Emilio Lustau - The dark amber colour of this sherry released dried fruits of dates and apricots across the tongue, and light tannins from its time in the oak. The flavour was a little drier than the nose, with crisp citrus and nuts, which once again matched deliciously well with the almost completely devoured food left on in front of us.

6. Pedro Ximenez by Cardinal Cisneros - The final glass of the night was filled with one of our favourite sherry casks (for whisky). The sherry itself was dark and sticky, richly sweet and very indulgent. Smelling of dried figs and raisins that transferred delightfully to the palate and sang of festive spice, plums and yet more figs, this would be the perfect drink for a cosy night in - think we'll be getting a bottle in for Christmas. Definitely a dessert of a drink.

This event was the first we attended which was hosted by Barry Starmore, the other half of Starmore Boss to Jeff, who has presented such events as Smoke on The Water and Whisky Tasting. These two really know their stuff and their passion shines through every time. The evening was definitely an eye opener to an arena of drink that we have not been party to in the past. But we will now surely be looking to dip further into this varied world of fortified wines and certainly be eating more tapas.

Cheers,

J&L

Islay 2014: Lagavulin

A very un-Scottish, gloriously sunny summer's day on Islay enticed us down to the south shore, out past Port Ellen, where the peatiest of the island's whiskies are brought into being.

Our first tour of the day was Lagavulin. We've never owned a bottle of Lagavulin before, but hugely enjoyed their 16 year on the ferry on the way across - a bargain of a dram at under a fiver for a 70ml measure. The flavour of the whisky itself is everything reminiscent of Islay - intense, seaweedy peat smoke, with a backbone of barley sweetness.

The tour, led by Rachael, began in the old kiln room of the distillery, which is now only used by nesting swallows. Owned by Diageo, Lagavulin is more corporate than some of the other distilleries on the island, but this doesn't affect the passion that goes into all they do. They're also not afraid to share their experiences of working with such a huge company (whereas others seem to try to brush over this aspect a little), which meant that the tour provided some additional very interesting insights into the industry on the island as a whole, including their involvement with the maltings at Port Ellen, which they have worked with since the early 1980s.

We were interested to discover that the mashing process at Lagavulin takes just under 6 hours, and is carried out twenty-eight times per week - effectively meaning that production is continual. It's clear that Lagavulin do their utmost to ensure that they make as much whisky as is humanly possible under the current set up - something I am sure many whisky connoisseurs are grateful for.

Swallows featured again in the tun room, where a large plastic owl has done a semi-effective job of keeping the nesting birds away (unfortunately no photos are allowed in the working parts of the distillery, so we can't show you this little guy). We sampled the woody, smoky wash using my favourite distillery instrument - a jug on a rope (it must have a proper name). The fermentation process takes 55 hours, before being piped through to be distilled.

On to the still house, where we were let into a number of distillery "secrets". Lagavulin peats its whisky to 36ppm, which doesn't quite tally up with the massive peaty character that the final product has. This is due at least in part to an unusually steep line pipe angle to the stills, meaning there is less spirit reflux (where the spirit falls back into the still), resulting in less copper contact and a lower amount of phenol vapour wearing away. The longest second distillation of all the whisky producers on Islay - 12 hours - at a lower temperature, also helps to provide a more robust flavour. The still house has to be my favourite part of a distillery - you can always tell that it is a magical place!

The tour ended with a sampling of the Lagavulin range in the lounge - the distillery as a whole has a great country hunting lodge feel about it, and the sophisticated smokiness of the whisky fits in so well with this. We just needed a pipe! After tasting the fiery 12 year and the robustly sweet 16 year Distiller's Edition, the Distiller's Edition immediately became our favourite whisky of the trip so far and so we decided to invest in a bottle. Tasting notes to follow once we've drank it all!

Slainte,

J&L