June 2009 Welcome to the June diary, to summer and to the month with more daylight hours than any other. Here's to long days, lazy lunches with friends and laughter, plenty of rosé to drink with food absolutely fresh, and, lastly, to rising temperatures... NEWS FROM THE KITCHENS Think of summer and you think of strawberries and soft fruits, an abundance of watery vegetables, perfect for crudités with heaps of mayonnaise. Asparagus is still hard to resist and if you're tired of sweating over hollandaise and don't want to waste too much time in the kitchen when the sun is shining, serve it simply with melted butter and a squeeze of lemon. June is a great month for broad beans - try them at the Parsonage in a salad with asparagus, peas and mint, or skinned and stirred into a pan of cubed pancetta with lots of parsley, with a fillet of salmon or Jersey mackerel. In June, mackerel are on tap from Jersey in all our restaurants, fried, baked and smoked, with baby broad beans and chorizo or with a new potato and horseradish salad. They are fabulously fresh and we never tire of them. Crabs, too, are in abundance. Spider crabs are at their best now and only available for about a month: they're a real treat and worth a visit alone. Puddings in all our restaurants this month are of the no-cook variety, with English strawberries at their sweetest. We offer them in overflowing platters with jugs of Jersey cream or home-made vanilla ice-cream. On our grills daily are 'Rofford Farm' lamb and pork steaks, chalked up on the blackboards as they come in from the farm and served with crushed new potatoes and sage butter with a pancetta, pea and mint risotto. A typical June menu in all of our restaurants or on our terraces this month will include Jersey crab mayonnaise, new season's poached salmon and hollandaise with a salad of little gems and English strawberries and cream ... we look forward to cooking for you this month. NEWS FROM ROFFORD FARM In June on the farm at Rofford, the lambs and calves prosper on the rapidly growing pasture, and our piglets become pigs as they fatten on grass topped up with a supplement of varied kitchen garden scraps and leftovers. The first of our pigeon eggs have hatched and Simon, our farm manager, has taken delivery of nine Tamworth piglets which will be ready for our restaurants in three months. They are a rare breed, raised as nature wishes - with plenty of freedom to roam and live contented, healthy lives. Look out on our blackboards this month for 'Rofford Farm' specials. RECIPE OF THE MONTH Simon Cottrell, Head Chef at the Parsonage, recommends this risotto for a perfect lunch or summer supper on a corner of the Parsonage terrace with a glass of cold white wine. Courgette and Lemon Risotto (serves 4) 3 tablespoons (75g) butter 1 clove of garlic, peeled and roughly crushed 600g courgette and/or summer squash, topped, tailed and diced 10 - 15 courgette flowers (wiped clean, green sepals and stamens removed) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 litre of chicken stock 1 onion 300g risotto rice Juice and grated zest of half a lemon (keep separate) 4 tablespoons crème fraîche 125g freshly grated parmesan 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil Method In a heavy frying pan heat two tablespoons of the butter along with the garlic Fry the courgettes/squash over a medium heat until they are slightly browned but still with a little bite. Set aside. Slice the flowers into ribbons reserving two tablespoons for the garnish. Heat the remaining butter and the olive oil and sweat the onion very gently until soft, about 15 minutes. In another pan heat the stock so it is barely simmering. Add the rice to the oil and butter stirring until every grain is coated. Add a couple of tablespoons of stock until absorbed then gradually add the rest. After ten minutes add the lemon zest, the courgette and sliced flowers. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes until all the stock is used up and the rice is cooked but retains some bite. While the rice is cooking, beat the lemon juice with the crème fraîche and the parmesan. When the risotto is cooked, take it off the heat and add this mixture and stir well. Season, stir in the basil keeping the odd leaf to sprinkle on top with the saved flowers. Serve with extra parmesan. JAZZ Our jazz recommendation for this weekend is Australian singer Jasmine Nelson who has been singing professionally in London for many years. Jasmine has a delicate yet passionate voice and she performs on June 7th at Gee's with one of the most innovative and experienced jazz guitarists in the country, Dave Colton, alongside jazz bassist Tim Dawes. On Saturday 14th at Quod the exceptionally talented saxophonist Ross Stanley performs with Nick Smalley on drums and Tim Dawes on double bass. Ross has played with Jamie Cullum, Liane Carroll and Stan Sulzmann as well as being a regular member of the Jim Mullen Organ Trio, the Jacqui Dankworth Band, the Guy Barker Big Band and Steve Howe Trio. Most recently he has performed with his own trio to a packed house at Ronnie Scott's. COMPETITION Oscar Wilde studied classics at Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1874-1878 and during this time he took rooms at the Parsonage for several months. You can now stay in Oscar Wilde's old room at the Parsonage: just specify room 26 when booking. While in Oxford, Wilde founded the Aesthetic Movement 'Art for Art's Sake' and wrote an award winning poem which contains these lines: Adieu! Adieu! yon silver lamp, the moon Which turns our midnight into perfect noon, Doth surely light thy towers, guarding well Where Dante sleeps, where Byron loved to dwell. For a chance to win dinner for two with a bottle of the sommelier's recommended wine, accompanied by live jazz on the terrace at The Old Parsonage, name the above poem. Please send your answer to louise@mogford.co.uk. The correct answers will be put into a hat and the winner drawn at random. Good luck! FATHER'S DAY - SUNDAY 21st JUNE We have special menus in each of our restaurants to celebrate Father's Day. Treat Dad to a great lunch out at the Parsonage, Gee's or Quod, or maybe afternoon tea at Quod or Old Parsonage. Lots of Jersey lobster and 'Rofford Farm' beef on the menu. Father's Day Menu at Gee's Father's Day Menu at Old Parsonage Father's day Menu at Quod JUNE EXHIBITION The summer exhibition Travel Reflections, at the Sarah Wiseman Gallery, South Parade, Oxford, focuses on a group of artists that make their experience of travel the central aspect of their work. The exhibition includes work by the well-known portrait artist Tess Barnes who recently had an exhibition at Wolfson College, Women of Substance, 50 portraits of high profile women. Other artists whose work is featured include Andrew Hood, Jane Skingley, Allyson Austion, Fiona Cameron and Karen Griffiths, who painted these portraits On a Sunday Evening and Calcutta Story. Travel Reflections opens on June 12th and continues until the end of July. The Sarah Wiseman Gallery website: www.wisegal.com SOMMELIER'S SUGGESTION THIS MONTH Each month Sophie Vienney and Tom Gilbey of Jascots write the wine lists to work with the menus in Old Parsonage and Gee's. Sophie is both Manager at Gee's and Sommelier, and recommends the following wines. This month I recommend our new Pinot Grigio, Villa Blanca 2008. I chose this wine from Hungary for its refreshing zest and fruity palette. Glass 6.00, bottle 25.00. My second choice is more traditional, Le Pecachard 2008, a lovely raspberry pink French rosé with a summery red fruit bouquet. Glass 6.25, bottle 26.00. Sophie Vienney, Sommelier, Gee's Restaurant COMING UP NEXT MONTH... Summer blazes on, with English tomatoes and basil at their best, melons are plentiful and raspberries abound! Great hotel offers that include a complimentary walking tour of the city, art, competitions and more outdoor Jazz... We would love to hear your opinion of our e-mail bulletins - what you thought of the messages you've received up to now, and what you might like to receive in the future - so please let us know. Just email us at louise@mogford.co.uk. Best regards, Marie Jackson Gee's Restaurant & Bar 61 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 6PE 01865 553 540 email | web Quod Brasserie 92-94 High Street Oxford OX1 4BN 01865 202505 email | web The Old Bank Hotel 92-94 High Street Oxford OX1 4BN 01865 799599 email | web Old Parsonage Hotel 1 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 6NN 01865 310210 email | web