Week beginning April 15th - Ugli Fruit, Sloe Blossom, Strawberries and Sumac

Finally the bright orb in the sky has started to make a regular appearance and we can draw our attention away from indoor activities. Break out the picnic baskets and frisbees.
With the sun comes blossoms on trees and what hasn't been explored terribly in cooking is incorporating the delicate flowers into dishes. On this weeks menu we have added sloe blossom into our virgin caesar salad, these snow white flowers have an almond and slightly bitter flavour and great for adding texture and contrast to salads. 

We also have a ugli fruit back on the menu, this tri-hybrid citrus is a mixture of tangerine grapefruit and orange. Quite literally the ugliest of all the citrus fruit but contains juicy segment beneath its ogre porous skin. Last year I incorporated ugli fruit in sweet muffins with dark chocolate and cardamon. This year I will be incorporating ugli into a salad of maple smoked bacon, herby foraged ground ivy and dressed in an cardamon infusion. A balance of sweet, salty and fragrant and contains 3 of your 5 a day.

Our sweet muffins contain new English strawberries and sumac. Sumac is floral purple spice that grows in tight little berry clusters which are then harvested dried, ground and used in Palestinian and Middle Eastern cooking. Great sprinkled on salads, hummus and fatty meats. Very tart in flavour and gives dishes and baked goods a zesty little kick.

We hope you enjoy this week's menu as much as we have putting it together and as much as we will enjoy serving it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Porridge - Served with rhubarb and raspberry compote, chopped nuts, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Strawberry and sumac 2.20
Savoury Scone: Linseed, tomato, mustard and cheddar 2.20
Cherry, coconut and chocolate friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Afgan cookies 1.80

Lunch
Soup: Smoked salmon, broad bean and sea aster 4.50

French retro baguettes 4.90
Ham, gherkin, red onion, dijon, gruyere, rocket
Aubergine, goats cheese, thai basil, sweet chilli

Foccacias 5.00
Chicken, brie, salsa verde, rocket
Plum tomato, mozzarella, aioli, spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Virgin caesar with sloe blossom, asparagus, fresh peas and parmesan
Sweet potato roasted with chervil stems and curry leaves with a spiced tamarind dressing and pumpkin seeds
Ugli fruit, bacon, ground ivy, cardamom dressing, rocket

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Broccoli, chilli and blue cheese