Q. How long have you been a photographer?

A. I’ve been taking pictures since I was about 15 when my dad got me into it and lent me his digital camera. I started doing it professionally when I left college and didn’t want to go to university at 19. Yeah so it’s 6 years now and I still love it.

Q. How long have you been working with Soul Food?

A. I’ve been with Soul Food since the very start, I remember the first weekend when it started in the Hare & Hounds, it wasn’t long after that when they asked me to come and take pictures of the food and then the events. I like looking back at old Soul Food Project pictures because I can clearly see how I’ve progressed as a photographer as well as the food  and the presentation has progressed.

Q. What do you enjoy about working with Soul Food?

A. I love food photography, it’s probably my favourite thing to photograph, I think it helps being interested in your subject and I am definitely interested in food. But you guys are great to work for, you are full of ideas and creativity and you basically give me free reign to take pictures how I want. I don’t feel at all restricted when I work for Soul Food, it’s just really relaxed and a lot of fun.

Q. What’s your favourite picture you’ve taken for us?

I love this one:

I love the colours in it, I love how the red and the yellow of the sauces are mixing, it really makes it stand out. It shows off what it is, a real sexy massive messy burger.

Q. Is that your favourite dish?

No, My favourite dish has got to the Hush Puppies, I can’t get over those crunchy, tasty, doughy babies.

Q. Do you want to tell us about what happened with you and Craig Charles?

A. Do I have to?

Q. Yes.

A. Ok so it was the Soul Food Project Mardi Gras party a couple of years ago, I was taking pictures and Craig Charles was DJing to a full room at the Hare & Hounds, it was amazing, everyone was dancing, having a great time and I went up on stage to get a picture of Craig and the crowd. I stepped on the wire and pulled the plug out of the wall, the music stopped, everything went off and I was left standing there in front of 300 people with Craig Charles looking less than pleased. My instant reaction was to curl up into a defence ball and hope no-one noticed. Of course EVERYONE noticed and Carl and Matt have never let me live it down.

I did get this pretty cool picture of the moment it happened though:

Worst moment of my life.

We are taking over a pub. The Church has been in Birmingham for well over 100 years and now it is going to be the new HQ of The Soul Food Project. This has been a lifelong ambition for SFP founder Carl Finn and now in conjunction with Everard’s Brewery we are happy to be opening the doors of The Church. The Church will be influenced by the New Orleans, French quarter that first inspired us here at Soul Food but firmly rooted in a British pub. We can’t ignore this place’s heritage after all.

We can’t explain how excited we are to write the next chapter in the Soul Food Project story.

Follow The Church on Twitter and Facebook to find out about the grand opening.

We’ll let you in soon don’t worry…

Photo by Jack Spicer Adams

Our recipe this month comes from our new head chef Niki Astley, you’ll get to know him soon enough but here is a recipe he shared with us.

SALT COD GNOCCHI WITH CUCUMBER LINGUINI AND COCONUT CREME FRAICHE

Serves 4

This is probably best treated as a salad, tapas or starter, although there’s nothing to say it couldn’t be bumped up to main course. The ‘Gnocchi’ here serves mostly as an alternative fish cake. The Salt Cod in this dish can be replaced with fresh or another white fish, such as Pollock or Haddock – Although they might be a bit lost in the mix if under seasoned and are likely to cost a little more.

You’ll need

500 g Salt cod
250 g Plain flour
250 g white potatoes
2 eggs
Garlic
Spring onion, chopped
1 Shallot
Chili
Lime
Olive Oil
Butter
2 cucumbers
Coconut cream (or fresh)
Creme fraiche

If using proper salt cod, soak in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water at least once. This is how the fish will rehydrate and lose its saltiness before cooking. The thicker the fish the longer it will need soaking – a good day and a half is preferable.

Place the cod in a pan of cold water and boil up till soft. It should take around twenty minutes. Strain the fish and allow it to cool. Once it reaches a handleable temperature pick through the mix for bones before adding a little garlic (to taste), spring onions, the shallot chili, lime and olive oil.

Now for the Gnocchi:
Peel and boil the potatoes; strain and mash them but only add a little salt and white pepper. Leave to cool somewhat before adding the eggs and then the flour. If you have a big enough bowl try it in there but otherwise take the mix onto a clean surface and knead it all together just like they do with pizza dough, until everything is one texture and all the egg and flour completely absorbed. Add the salt cod mix, and knead together until the fish is evenly distributed throughout the mix. It will be quite handleable in the final stage and if you go for long enough any gooeyness will have come away from your hands.

Roll it out into a big, fat sausage shape and cut into pieces about as thick as your thumb, and around the same shape as the end of it. Take a pan with butter and heat at a medium to high temperature. place the gnocchi in and cook one side till golden before turning. As the pan become hotter and the butter burns the gnocchi will darken. As long as it is not burned there is nothing wrong with this.

Take the cucumbers and a potato peeler; peel the dark skin away. Now running the length of the cucumber and with confident pressure peel the cucumber flesh so that it looks like big strips of pasta. Do this until you reach the core of the cucumber which won’t turn into strips but is probably best chopped up and mixed in to save wasting.

Finally mix creme fraiche and coconut to taste; I personally like the coconut quite prominent.

Place the cucumber Linguini in a small mound on the base of the plate and the Gnocchi on top of it; place a dollop of coconut creme fraiche to one side. Serve.

Jabberwocky

Toasties with a twist, all great ingredients from The classic: Warwickshire roast ham and West Country cheddar to The Reuben: Gouda, pastrami, Russian dressing and gherkins. All served out of their beloved green van, these guys are doing it right.

Jabberwocky hail from Leamington Spa but travel around in their customised toastiemobile dishing out toasties all over the Midlands.We first met the duo at supersonic festival last October, there warm gooey toastie goodness went down a storm!They can be found at Digbeth Dining Club semi-regularly but follow them on Twitter to find out where they will be next: @jabberwockyfood
Facebook
Website

Digbeth Dining Club

Weekly street food event at Spot*light behind the Custard Factory in Digbeth. A collection of street food vendors getting together together to tempt you with their creations. Expect anything from massive messy Meat Shack burgers to the finest pancakes. Every Friday there is something different to try from a constantly changing rota of Street Food chefs.

See their listings on their Facebook page: HERE
or follow them on Twitter: @DigbethDiner
Facebook
Website

Tan Rosie Caribbean Supper Club

Real Caribbean cooking around a big shared table in your hosts Monica and Lee’s home restaurant. This is the real deal, real home cooked food from all over the Caribbean. Themed evenings of 3 course meals sampling the cuisine of the different Islands of the Caribbean, last month was a St Lucia supper club and next up is the Dominican Republic. Check out their website for more information and how to book your tickets. Places are extremely limited.

Website
Twitter: @TanRosie

The Birmingham Whisky Club, the city’s only dedicated whisky-tasting events company has gone from strength-to-strength over the last year, showcasing only the finest whisky from around the world to the people of Birmingham through tutored tastings and festivals. Now in its second year of operation the founders, Amy Seton and Craig Mills, are preparing to embark on an exciting and eclectic mix of events for the summer months. ‘A Dram Fine Summer’ – the whisky club’s summer festival of events will take place access June, July and August at a number of venues across the city centre, Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter. The festival kicks-off with Peat and Smoke – a cigar, whisky and BBQ event and carries on through the summer with, amongst others, a taste-a-long at The Electric, a whisky-cocktail masterclass, a ‘walk and whisky’ tour of the city and ending with a summer social at new Soul Food Project HQ… The Church!

We are also proud to announce that The Church will be hosting a 4th of July Independence Day bourbon tasting with Chris Hoy from High Spirits. We’ll be doing themed food, cocktails as well as the tasting. It promises to be big.
Image by Edward Shaw Photography

Soul Food Founder Carl Finn met with the mag’s editor Matt Wright to talk about what a’gwan!!

You can read what they talked about below!!

http://www.greatfoodmag.co.uk/blog-a-building-site-full-of-ghosts/

We are over excited about The Church opening soon. To find out more, and to receive our monthly newsletter put your email in the sign up box top right hand corner of this page!!

Team SFP

xxx

Loaf bakery over in Stitchery are always doing new things and they are hosting a pop up restaurant called CANeat. I think it’s some of the best food we have tried in our fair city. The team behind the bakery are nothing but nice, passionate and incredible chefs and it’s great to see them pushing things forward.

www.loafonline.co.uk     Twitter: @loafonline   @can_eat

Blog: stirchleycaneat.wordpress.com

For a year or so, Pop-up dosa have been making waves. I love their passion for finding new flavours.

Facebook – pop up dosa     Twitter @popupdosa

A new little curve ball is Evanthia’s Kitchen. Set up by native Greek Evanthia. Her take on bringing Greek food to Birmingham is interesting and raw. She is a good friend, I will helping as well as learning some new kitchen skills with her.

Facebook- Evanthia’s Kitchen  Twitter @EvanthiaKitchen

Street food is big right now and Birmingham is getting on the action

Brum Yum Yum are gathering together local independent food entreprenuers to bring great street food to the second city. Their next event is “kings hEATh” on the 13th of April and they have got a great looking line up already.

Facebook: facebook.com/BrumYumYum

Twitter: @brumyumyum

As part of Brum Yum Yum our friends at the Bournville Waffle Company will be there serving their freshly made Belgian waffles covered in whatever toppings you want.

Website: thebournvillewafflecompany.co.uk

Facebook: facebook.com/TheBournvilleWaffleCompany

You could win 2 tickets to our head chef’s side project The Secret Dining Society by joining our mailing list, you can also earn extra entries by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

SDS giveaway

This SDS takes place on the 16th of June and promises to be BIG, just look at the trailer made by OldDeadEye

We have served our brownies all over the UK. The recipe hasn’t changed one bit since day one, and there’s a reason for that, they are incredible!!

Arrogant as that may sound, the amount we serve up is the proof in this pudding!! So here you are, we going to give you the recipe this month!!

You will need….

• Cake tin that resembles a A4 size
• 2 mixing bowls that can withstand heat
• 1 Pan
• 240 grams of 50-60% dark chocolate
• 440 unsalted butter
• 140 Plain flour
• 440 caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 8 eggs
• Hand full of crushed pecan nuts (optional)
• Some good music (mandatory)
• 1 or more Cold Beer

Method

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl that is resting on a pan with boiling water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
2. Grease the oven tin with butter and pre heat oven to 150c
3. In a other bowl, mix all other ingredients (apart from the beer) until smooth
4. When the butter and chocolate have melted completely add to the other mixture and mix well.
5. Add half the pecans (optional)
6. Place the mixture in your oven tray and place the rest of the nuts on top.
7. Place in the oven for 45mins, checking after 30. Depending on the oven you might need to turn it around
8. Grab a cold beer and reflect on the work you have accomplished.
9. To check to see if its done, stick a clean knife in to the centre at a angle and then pull out, if its still got mixture on it then leave for another 5 mins and then do it again. you want to take it out just before its ready so when you serve it, it still has a little runny texture to it.
10. Once out of the oven, the may be large air bubbles on top, these will deflate and make a wonderful crust on top. Leave for 20 mins to cool. then place on a cooling rack
11. Serve with your favourite ice cream whist still a little warm.
12. repeat step 11 till full!!

Well there you have it, our brownies our in you hands, and then in your mouths.

Enjoy

Chef!

xx

SDS “FUNERAL” will be held on the 16th of June and seems to be very much, as always a close regarded secret in to what it will be, where it will be and why the it’s called the “FUNERAL”.

We caught up with our head chef (SDS Head Honcho) to ask a few important questions!!

Are you ok? As you don’t seem ok in the trailer.

“Yes, thanks. I know, I can’t watch without thinking I need some help! But it was fun to make. It was filmed in a few different locations around Brum. We even took it to a good friend’s birthday party got a little merry and then whipped the camera out and did some hardcore acting!!”

This time last year we had a chat and you were very positive about the year ahead. How did it go?

“Last year was amazing, all the events where diverse and challenged what we had done before, that’s the nature of the game. “CAMP” with was a like cub camp but with cocktails and beer! “FIRE” was an incredible BBQ with smoking legends Nick and Lap (AKA Backyard Brummies). “POP” a cinematic adventure and then “EARTH” witch was our 100% veggie meal with no cutlery. They were all completely different, more interactive than before and more to the point loads of new people involved. Goal achieved!”

So why the funeral of SDS?

“Ha! The famous question that gets asked…. We started giving them names to get people thinking about what it could involve. So that’s why we called it the Funeral”

Ok, is this the last one?

“Is it the last one? It’s could be, nothing last forever.”

We hope it’s not!

“I hope so as well, but it requires a lot of time from a lot of people who do it, just to do something. It always has and always will be non profit. Last year we had an incredible team who volunteered, it was fun but we are all a lot busier with things this year.”

Tickets for SDS “FUNERAL” are available now, priced at £15 until the end of April then £20 after. You can find them here:- www.ticketsellers.co.uk.

Please note, dietary requirements will not be catered for

Team SFP