Bangers & Bacon chefs table

For a while now I've been keen to try Bangers and Bacon food! I've seen them at numerous events and always missed trying their food. Having told them this numerous times, they said I should attend one of their chefs tables at Guerrilla Eats. 

Bangers and Bacon have been a resident every week at the latest series of Guerrilla Eats events. Although Gurrilla Eats is free entry and pay for food at each of the vendors, advanced tickets should be bought for a place at the Bangers and Bacon chefs table as they sell out! Luckily we had our place booked for the 6pm sitting this Saturday and we were keen to discover for ourselves why these events are selling out. 

Guerrilla Eats has relocated to Sudehill just by the bus station for its latest run of events and arriving around 6pm on a sunny Saturday meant it was fairly quiet on arrival. We grabbed a drink at the well stocked bar and headed upstairs in the redundant wholesalers building which has been cleverly used to host Guerrilla Eats food events. 

Guerrilla Eats

Umbrellas and lights to decorate the redundant wholesale building

At the top of the stairs, Bangers and Bacon occupy a large area out of the way of the music with 3 large tables, enough to seat around 30 people. At the far end is their kitchen area. Open to the viewing of the dining audience, allowing them to see how the menu is put together from start to finish. 

Bangers and Bacon Chefs Table

Arriving early we had free choice of seats so sat right up against the kitchen and immediately got talking to the Bangers and Bacon team. 

Simple decorations to create a friendly, sociable setting within the first floor

Open kitchen for diners to view

The team aim to bring a different menu each week. Every week they develop 5 courses, with every course containing pork, from starter to dessert.

Having no idea of the menu before hand left me grabbing the first 1 I saw to see what pork filled creations would be in store tonight. 

The menu explained the dishes perfectly while leaving your imagination open to try dream what the flavours will taste like as each course arrives. 

Chefs Table - Week 11 Menu

As the tables filled up and the first course was almost ready, Richard introduced himself to the diners with a warm welcome, introduced the rest of the kitchen staff/chefs and set the evening going. He explained that although the menu is as they planned, there are occasions when the menus change slightly.  

First course; Pig Pickle and Pate

This first course consist of a Wellington, made with their award winning sausage meat, would be combined with bacon jam. On the side would be some bacon pate and homemade chutney. 

Having watched all these being created I couldn't wait to try them! 

Course 1 in preperation

As the little slates of Wellington were brought to the tables they were accompanied by crackers in the centre of the table. 

Richard explained to the diners that this course brought the first change to the menu. The Wellington had been replaced with more of a sausage infused swirl. 

Wellington Swirl with bacon Pate

Crackers to accompany the starter

The first bite of cracker with the swirl and chutney brought a fantastic taste! I'm a bit of a sausage snob and like to think I recognise good sausage meat when I try it. It was immediately obvious why the sausage meat was award winning! I could have eaten an unlimited number of these swirls! 

Richard later explained that they do make full sausages with this meat, and can be found under their sausage retailer name of Bobby's Bangers, so I'll have my eye out for these as soon as I can!! 

The chutney accompanied the swirl and sausage meat perfectly. The bacon pate was smooth and had a perfect bacon hit! 

If every course was to taste like this, we were in for a treat!! 

Second course; It's Pho Simple

The second course was a traditional Pho (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup) infused with Asian flavours and filled with cured, sticky, charred pork. 

Pho, noodle soup topped with pork cracker

The generous pork slices within this soup were well cooked and just as described on the menu. They had a slight sticky texture to them but were well cured to give a fantastic taste. The pork flavours were transferred into the noodles and the soup meaning I enjoyed every last drop. 

Each Pho portion had been topped with a very lightly fried crackling type piece. Asking Richard what exactly these were, he explained that they were a type of pork flavoured prawn cracker. I'd describe them as a cross between a prawn cracking and pork scratchings. 

Third course; Oriental Spicy Swine

Chinese steamed buns, kimchee slaw and wasabi mayo. 

Chinese steamed buns with wasabi sauce and slaw

Perhaps the course I was most apprehensive about from the menu description, not being the biggest fan of wasabi. However combining the steamed parcel with a little of the wasabi made for a great little hit following the pasta filled pork flavours. 

The side portion of fresh slaw cleansed the pallet well if the wasabi was too much. 

We'd been able to watch each parcel lovingly prepared by hand as we'd sat right next to the pasta preparation area. Inside each parcel was a great little portion of seasoned minced pork. 

Preparation of the steamed parcels

Fourth course; "Hungary" Like a Pig

Ravioli of Paprikash, warm Italian salad, and basil emulsion

A couple of soft parcels of freshly made pasta ravioli filled with minced pork, seasoned with onions, sided with a tomato salad and drizzled with a basin sauce. 

Pork filled, freshly made ravioli parcels with Italian Salad and Basil Emulsion

I think the staff had underestimated the preparation time for the ravioli and so this course was perhaps a little rushed. The parcels were a little undercooked, however the minced pork inside each ravioli packet tasted great. 

Minced pork filled Ravioli

The combination of the tomato salad and basin sauce worked very well to create a fresh flavour with the ravioli. 

This course took a while longer than all the other to be served and so I wondered if it had been a little rushed in the cooking of the ravioli. Perhaps a little more patience in the cooking and serving it a little later may have perfected it. 

Fifth Course; Bloody, Bitter & Bacon

Bitter chocolate, blood, orange pot, with bacon thins

A bitter, dark chocolate orange mousse, with pigs blood. This mouse was served with a cookie which should have contained bacon pieces. Here came the second change to the menu for the evening as it would seem the bacon pieces were omitted from the side biscuit. 

Cream topped, blood, chocolate and orange mousse accompanied by a biscuit. 

Everyone seemed a little apprehensive about this course when they were told that the chocolate mousse contained pigs blood. I dug in undeterred and instantly enjoyed the thick, rich chocolate flavour. The orange was an obvious follow on flavour while the pigs blood gave the mousse a thicker consistency. I couldn't find it at all in the taste. I think the dark chocolate and orange flavours may have overpowered any pigs blood taste, but it was obvious in the consistency. It made the mousse very thick and what I could only describe as a slight gritty texture. This doesn't give it much credit in the description, but I promise it was a delightful end to a fantastic meal!

Bacon infused biscuit

The pots were only small but with the rich chocolate it was just enough. As the chocolate got overpowering, the biscuit would help to take the edge off. 

Conclusion

After a long wait I was glad I'd finally been able to attend one of Bangers and Bacon's chefs tables. 

The Bangers and Bacon team are extremely friendly and their pork inspired menus are incredible. To make so many dishes, all containing pork, and to be able to create different dishes week after week, all of which taste so great is no easy achievement. It also intrigues me to return as each week would be different! 

Due to this weeks menu I think a lot more preparation was required for some of the courses as they usually have, and so I think this created my only criticism. The fourth course of ravioli could perhaps have done with a little more prep before the event and a little more cooking at the event. But then I suppose this would take away the spectacle of creating each dish live in front of the dining audience. 

Overall myself and the group I was with, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! If you like your pork tastes and you're in the search of something different then I highly recommend Bangers and Bacon. If you're into your sausages then keep your eye out for Bobby's bangers! If their sausages taste like the swirls from the first course, you'll be in for a treat with these well seasoned pork sausages! 

Bangers and Bacon are also set to open a restaurant as part of "The Kitchens" in Spinningfields some time around mid June! Expect them to feature in the memoirs again when we check out the restaurants there. 

In the mean time, you can book a place at the chefs tables at Guerrilla Eats here:
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bangers-and-bacon-chefs-table-guerrilla-eats-week-12-tickets-16306774000?aff=eac2

@bangersandbacon

Bangers and Bacon Facebook Page

http://bangersandbacon.co.uk/


Meat Rating: 9/10

Money for meat: Paid in Full

Pit Smoked Barbeque

Prior to visiting London I'd shared on social media the reason behind my visit (to watch a favourite sport of mine at Wembley), and one food company had replied to tell me that they would be serving outside Wembley stadium and inviting me to visit them. 

Pit Smoked Barbeque was their name and after looking on their website (linked at the end of this memoir) and reading about their custom made smoking pit I was intrigued.

Pit Smoked Barbeque

There were a number of stalls available to choose from outside Wembley, but as Pit Smoked Barbeque had been in touch and after reading about their equipment I thought I'd choose them. 

Pit Smoked Barbeque Outside Wembley

They had a small menu of just three options from their van, all served on a brioche roll:

1. 18 Hour slow cooked pulled pork with BBQ sauce (£7.00)
2. Smoked XXL hotdog (£6.00)
3. Ultimate combo - a combination of both of the above (£8.00)

Menu

A simple menu for event catering, but as all items sounded like they'd satisfy another meat craving I went for the combined option! 

It's worth noting at this point that I didn't make them aware of who I was, or introduce my self prior to ordering to remind them that they'd contacted me prior to this. I just ordered like anyone else. 

So, on to the food.

I fully expected the usual arrangement of a frankfurter on a dry bun, then for it to be topped with pulled pork and optional coleslaw, before being doused in BBQ sauce. I was therefore surprised when the 'slaw went on the bun first, then the pulled pork, then finally the sausage and a thin line of BBQ sauce. Different way of doing it.

The bun was a fresh bun to start, not like the stale things that catering trailers usually sell you at big events. The coleslaw wasn't all all salad cream or mayonnaise either, but instead more just crunchy cabbage and carrot. So far so good. 

The pulled pork then. Now pulled pork from trailers usually isn't prepared that fresh and ends up being in a hot plate for a while and going dry. As their website states, they bring a BBQ pit with them and it smells great but they have the cooked foods on hot plates ready to serve, which is where this pork came from. As previous pulled pork has been when served like this, it was a little dry. It had a decent barbecue taste to it though which couldn't be avoided. They didn't scrimp on the pulled pork either. The 'slaw and pulled pork filled the bread bun. There wasn't any room for the sausage.

So the sausage became a balancing act on top of the pulled pork and that was covered in a 

quick dashing of BBQ sauce. The sausage was well cooked and well seasoned and a good diameter with generous length (steady!). The smoked barbecue taste was again a positive with the sausage as much as it was for the pulled pork. The skin was a little tough for my preference, which I can only liken to that of a frankfurter. 

The smoked BBQ sauce added extra smoky flavour to the meal as well as helping bring some moisture to the meal. 

Ultimate Combo meal

The problem with the meal was that without having a table to sit down and eat at, keeping the sausage on top of the bread and pulled pork was a difficult balancing act. It all tasted great though. 

Conclusion

Pit Smoked Barbeque often cater for large events including Reading Festival, Wembley events, barbecue events in Manchester, and many other events around the country. So although you may not be able to just visit them on request, you might come across them at a festival or event. 

If you do I highly recommend their food compared to the usual bare minimum catering food that's often available. 

The barbecue flavours they offer from their smoking pit are great. If anything they offer you too much barbecue, that or they need to find larger bread buns (my preferred solution over serving less).  It may have been better if the food came straight from their pit to the bread but I ordered at a quieter time and imagine when it's busy the sausages and pork wont have been on a hot plate so long so would probably be a bit juicier. 

If you see them at an event and you're not sure which catering van to choose from then you're in safe hands with Pit Smoked Barbeque. Hopefully they can introduce a bit more to their menus as time goes on.

http://pitsmokedbbq.co.uk/

Meat Rating: 6/10

Money for Meat: Paid in Full

Dirty Burger

With so much planned during my time in London I wasn't able to fit in all the burgers I wanted. In an attempt to, I found out that Dirty Burger were open bright and early at 9am and could be found in various locations around London (Whitechaple, Vauxhall, Shoreditch, & Kentish Town. They also have a store in Chicago!). A little out of the way for my day but closest to where I was staying I opted to visit the Kentish Town store, so I woke up early and made the trip on the tube up there to see if they'd offer me a burger at 9am. What better way to start the day?

I knew this place was a bit more hidden than some other restaurants, and without the steel bin on the corner of a side street I'd have probably walked past it. 

Bin sign

Head towards the bin and around the corner and you see, leaning onto the back of another restaurant, hidden away under the fire escape is a small corrugated metal building. Through the fire escape bars you can just about see the "Dirty Burger" sign. It's different I'll give it that. 

It's in there somewhere

Different

As you can imagine, at 9am on a Sunday morning in a little London town, a burger restaurant isn't too busy so I didn't have to wait or anything. I'd tweeted them about a week before to ask if they served burgers first thing in the morning to no reply so just thought I'd head down there and risk it. 

Entering the little building there's a high level wooden table around the perimeter and a centre breakfast bar type table in the middle of the room. To the left is the kitchen built into the back of the other restaurant. 

"Rustic" interior

"Rustic" interior

No real need for artificial light I suppose. May be the little bit of heating though

The staff were friendly for this time on a Sunday morning (can't imagine I'd be that friendly at work at that time on a Sunday). I asked if they served burgers but as soon as I looked up at the menu it became clear the answer would be no, not until 11am. A little disappointing that they didn't reply on social media to answer this for me, but I was there now so I'd sample their breakfast menu instead. Simple enough menu, either a sausage and egg or a bacon and egg sandwich including bottomless tea or coffee for £4. 

The Menu

There are fresh doughnuts to the side of the window into the kitchen too if you have a sweet tooth for breakfast. I settled for the sausage and egg sandwich though. 

Fresh made doughnuts

I'd barely opened a complimentary paper before they called me back over for my breakfast sandwich. It looked a bit empty on a tray on it's own but it towered high enough in it's wrapping. 

Wrapped breakfast

Opening the wrapping let out a great smell of sausage and egg. If I was disappointed with having to settle for breakfast before I was quickly coming around to the idea now. 

Sausage & Egg Sandwich (£4.00)

Between the small brioche bun looked like a simple fried egg atop a sausage patty. It wasn't until I took a bite that I realised there was more to this that met the eye. A little lick of BBQ sauce seemed to have been smeered onto the bottom bun and the egg had been peppered for flavour. 

Peppered egg

The sausage patty was a little thin but good quality and well cooked. No gristle or obvious fatty parts as can be the case with sausages. The sausage meat was well seasoned with herbs and mustard seeds. Gave it a really great taste! The cracked pepper on the egg also really helped this little bun pack a morning punch! 

Half gone 

Runny Egg on well Seasoned Sausage Patty

The combination of the barbecue sauce and the runny egg yolk meant that this wasn't too easy to eat without slopping down yourself. However hard I tried! 

It was all worth it though. 

I soon realised what the sink was located in the eating area for, as my hands were a real mess after eating this. 

Wash up point

Conclusion

After initially being disappointed at not being able to grab the burger I'd hoped for I was pleasantly surprised with a great breakfast sandwich, which although may not look much for a meal, tied me over until lunch time. For a mere £4 it was very impressive and I'd definitely consider going out of my way again for this breakfast as it beats most other fast food breakfasts I've had before. In fact I'd prefer it over most greasy spoons! 

The venue is a little difficult to find and I don't imagine it's too great to spend much time in there in the cold depths of winter when it's wet, cold and windy outside. It's probably a bit draughty. 

My only criticism for Dirty Burger is their lack of social media communication. It would have been good to know I wasn't going to be able to get a burger, there again, if I hadn't tried I wouldn't have sampled such a great breakfast, so fries and potatoes I suppose! 

Meat Rating: 8/10

Money for Meat: Paid in Full

Lord of the Pies

Walking into Stockport town centre a little shop with a catchy name caught my eye and I couldn't help but take a quick look inside.

A quick search on the internet for "Lord of the Pies" brought up their two social media links which were full of rave reviews and mentions of their numerous award winning pies. An ideal stop for a lunch time meat then!

The little shop with its clean white and grey appearance outside is a quaint little cafe inside with a small number of timber tables and benches for eating in, or all food is available to take away. The wall to the right has an impressive collection of awards hung on the wall, but does the food live up to these awards?

Lord of the Pies

Interior

Awards

To the back is a small kitchen which looked to be being kept very busy on a Friday-pieday!
The counter displays freshly bagged uncooked pies ready to take away, while to the side there's a hot oven with only a small number of ready to eat pies in it. As they offer cooked pies all day long it proves that the pies aren't all left pre-cooked under a heat lamp all day and that they're continually cooking fresh pies through the day. So the pie you buy probably won't have been out of the oven long.

Uncooked pies

Cooked pies

They have quite a selection of traditional pie flavours each with their individual touch on the recipes. They don't have a set menu online as I presume they often change the flavours available, however to get some idea, there's a link to their September menu at the end of this memoir.
With the pies comes the offering of various traditional side servings such as mashed potato (traditional, cheesy or mustard), mushy peas, braised red cabbage, or red wine gravy.

As well as meat pies and all the sides, they also offer pork pies, sausage rolls, soup of the days and various sweet desserts.

It took some time to decide due to the delicious choice but I opted for the beef and blue cheese pie and a sausage roll (just to compare following the recent sausage roll review in "Butcher the Blog Part 1" here: Meat Memoirs; Butcher the Blog Part 1

The sausage roll was the first thing unwrapped as it didn't feel as hot as the pie. Opening the paper bag exposed a thin but long, broken crusted sausage roll, with a light pink meat inside.
The pastry was seasoned with herbs and very crunchy, no grease at all in these sausage rolls.

Sausage Roll (£1.50)

Taking a bite the flaking pastry made it impossible to avoid making a mess. The soft pork meat inside was obviously of a high quality with no gristle or obvious fatty chunks making up the meat.

Inside the sausage roll

Then it was onto the pie. A very generous size for what is expected to be a top quality pie based on the certificates and awards. Outside the pie pastry and crust is a perfect golden colour with a sprinkling of crumbs and herbs.

Beef & Blue Cheese Pie (£3.25 - takeout / £3.90 eat in)

Cutting open the pie, the thick gravy inside spills out along with the meat suspended within it. And it's a lot of meat! It's instantly obvious that there's a lot more meat in this pie compare to some famous branded pies.

Inside the Beef & Blue pie

Take a bite and the pastry taste is the first taste on the tongue. The herbs and crumbs almost make it taste like a seasoned pizza crust, yet it's crumbly pastry rather than a soft bread. The smooth gravy inside holds the juicy beef which is full of flavour and very well cooked. Like the sausage roll, there's no gristle or chewy meat to be found within the whole pie. Just juicy, mouth watering meat throughout.
The blacksticks blue cheese within these beef and blue pies isn't instantly obvious, but then every now and again you get a hit of it on the pallet. As I ate the pie I thought it could do with a little more blue cheese flavour, but once I'd finished it my mouth was left with the taste of blue cheese more than anything else. This may or may not be the intention of the recipe used to make these pies but it works as it means the cheese doesn't overpower the other flavours of the pie, in particular the juicy meat and gravy, yet your still offered the taste of the cheese.

Conclusion

Lord of the Pies certainly lives up to it's name! Really well seasoned pastries surrounding high quality meats and gravies. These pies are very moreish! If you're a fan of pies then I'd definitely suggest that you give Lord of the Pies a try. Their awards seem well deserved from this first experience! Now to make pieday-Friday a regular thing to sample more of the menu.

Also a comment regarding the exceptionally friendly customer service received within the shop on Friday. The staff were very welcoming and more than happy for me to take a few photos for the meat memoirs. All adds to the great experience received from this small shop.

Here is the September menu which was available at the time of this memoir being written:
Lord of the Pies Menu (September 2014)


Lord of the Pies on Facebook

@LordofthePiesGB


Meat Rating: 10/10 (the first 10 for the Meat Memoirs. Congratulations Lord of the Pies!)

Money for Meat: Paid in Full

Butcher the Blog (Part 2)

Cowmans Famous Sausages

Last week we featured what must be one of the freshest and largest sausage rolls on sale from a small butchers shop in a small town called Clitheroe, Lancashire. (Click here to see this monster sausage roll in case you missed it last time). As promised, this wasn't the only meat outlet in the small town that deserves a mention, and this week we're featuring a sausage shop that's become famous throughout the nation for its huge selection of high quality sausages. 

Cowmans has been a fresh local butchers for over 120 years, and the shop originally included its own abattoir within the building, so you'd have no problem knowing where your meat came from then!

The business has been passed down though five generations and remains a family business, who have been reinventing sausages for the last 60 years. 

Cowmans Sausage Shop

Over that time though they haven't deviated away from their original intentions of selling fresh high quality local meats to the general public. The "local" really means local too, with all the meats coming from farms within the Ribble Valley. 

They offer a wide range of meats, including steaks, beef, bacon (we're featuring that too), chicken and ham, but their focus is the sausages - there's a reason they're famous for these.

Cowmans Famous Sausage Shop

Cowman's Proclamation

Window into a meaty heaven

Selection of meats available

The small shop is often queuing out of the door, and there isn't a lot of room to move inside either, but they pack a huge variety of sausage into such a small place offering over 70 different flavoured sausages in their range, often adding new specials to the selection too. When you enter the shop and read the menu of sausages available it starts to become clear why it's so busy.

Standard Choice of Sausages

Look down into the refrigerated display units and almost all the sausages available are on display. 

Sausages 

Sausages on display

Beef & Guinness Sausages

The choice is so vast that it's difficult to choose. I've been here numerous times in the past and always try to select something different to try, but I always pick up a batch of my favourite flavour - Pork & Blacksticks blue cheese! 

If you're struggling to choose, you're sometimes helped out by the generous dishes of cooked samples to try on top of the counter. They don't always have tasters on offer but when they do it can certainly help you choose what to buy if you're struggling with all the choice. 

This time they had my favourites on offer to try (Pork & Blacksticks blue), as well as Pork, Smoked Garlic & Red Wine and also Pork Apple & Cider.

Pork, Smoked Garlic & Red Wine

Pork, Apple & Cider

Although they're famous for their sausages, their smoked bacon also needs a mention. All the bacon on offer comes in thick cuts (streaky or back, smoked or un-smoked) and are 2 or 3 times thicker than what you get in a supermarket pack of bacon. Words can't describe the smoky smell of the smoked bacon, even uncooked it smells delicious. 

Bacon

Once you finally make your choice and get these meats home you'll be keen to get them fried, barbecued, grilled etc.

I purchased my usual favourite sausages and half a pound of smoked back bacon.

Unwrap the packets to expose the fresh uncooked meats:

Pork & Blacksticks Blue Sausages (£3.27/lb - £7.20/kg)

It's worth pointing out here that this batch of sausages I was given this time didn't look to have been separated divided very well when they were made. It didn't affect the taste in any way, just meant that instead of 4 sausages I received 2 large sausages. 

Smoked Back Bacon

To give some idea of how thick this bacon is

Cook to your preference the sausages sizzle away with the juices literally bursting out under the heat. Once cooked the smell will already be obvious and cut them open to release even more fragrance from the meat and flavourings. Entering your mouth you'll be amazed at the obvious meat content, before realising the added flavours which bring variation and additional compliments to the meat inside. 

Cut open sausage - 75% pork content

The smoked bacon is the bit that gets your nose really excited before your mouth. As you open the packet the smell hits you, then while its under the grill the smoked flavours will fill your kitchen leaving you eager to turn up the grill so you can get it in your mouth quicker. 

Finally the time comes though that you can get it on the plate and sample the smoky tastes. 

The thick bacon is a much more satisfying chewing experience than the cheaper packeted bacon available elsewhere.

The smoked flavours are outstanding. I don't know if they put this bacon in a smoker like is common with smoked fish, but it certainly doesn't taste artificial, and with the natural quality in everything else they sell it'd be very surprising if it is an artificial flavour.   

Cooked Smoked Bacon

Conclusion

If you ask Cowmans about their meat content it will become clear why you can taste the difference. There's a legal requirement for a sausage to contain 65% "meat" in a pork sausage or 50% "meat" in a beef sausage - you might not actually be getting "pork" or"beef" (bare that in mind next time you're picking up a pack of supermarket specials). 

What makes Cowmans sausages stand out above these minimum requirement sausages is that Cowmans sausages contain a minimum of 75% meat content in all their varieties. They don't add any extra fat, and possibly the key factor is that their meat is what it says it is. Pork is mined pork, the beef is beef etc. 

Butchers meat is always preferable to the cheap meats from all ends of the earth, and the minimum requirement sausages available in the high street supermarkets. You simply can't beat a good butcher who can tell you where the meat is sourced from, and sometimes even the farmers name that supplies them. Cowmans is one of the best butchers I've experienced so far for their selection and especially for the quality. 

If you're a fan of your sausages and bacon, whether it be for a traditional cooked breakfast, barbecues, or to add to other meals (toad in the hole? to top off a burger?) then Cowmans sausage shop is a must. 

It'll soon become clear why these sausages are award winning. 

I'd recommend stocking up while you're there though, as once you've sampled these sausages and other meats once you might not be able to go back to the sub-standard bacons and sausages from supermarkets or franchise meat sellers. 

Money for meat: Paid in Full

Meat Rating: 9/10