Honey & Co.
If I had to choose one type of regional food that I could eat every day for the rest of my life, it would be from the Middle East. My most vivid foodie memories consist of dishes and experiences related to the region and its food: as a kid on holiday, buying bags of salty, herby olives from the markets in Israel to eat as snacks rather than chips or chocolates, washed down with freshly pressed orange juice; my first experience of pickled vegetables, garlicky and crisp and tart and also slightly sweet; the best falafel I have ever eaten from the oldest falafel restaurant (more like a hole in the wall) in Jerusalem, famous for having been run by the same Arab-Israeli family for many generations; my first proper tabouleh salad served under the stars in the desert in Dubai, followed by lamb that had been cooking all day in an underground clay brick oven; a fragrant breakfast of poached apricots, crushed pistachios, honey and thick yoghurt on the same Dubai trip; and an incredibly tasty meal of mezze at Moro, Sam and Sam Clarke’s famous London eatery (the months of waiting were worth it). Locally, I get my Middle Eastern fixes at Anatoli‘s (Turkish); The Cedar Tree (Lebanese); and Sababa (Israeli/Middle Eastern/Mediterranean). And then there are my best recipe books, the ones that I’d save in a fire: Claudia Roden’s Arabesque; Moro; my Ottolenghis; and Diana Henry’s Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons.
My newest foodie purchase is Honey & Co. by husband-wife team, Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, with beautiful photographs by Patricia Niven. It’s named after – and features dishes from – their popular London restaurant.
The couple met working in an Italian restaurant in Tel Aviv and moved to London to expand their skills. Both eventually ended up working for Yotam Ottolenghi, Itamar as head chef at the Islington deli, and Sarit as the group’s pastry chef. Their restaurant was born of a passion for wanting to share the food that they cook at home. It was a risk, opening any restaurant in London is, but Honey & Co., their tiny cafe on London’s Warren Street, is consistently full and has won them the coveted Observer Food Monthly’s 2013 Best Newcomer award, not to mention rave commentary from the critics-that-count, including The Guardian’s exceptionally discerning (and my favourite reviewer) Jay Rayner. The recipes are wonderful, I’m working my way through… This is definitely one for your wish list or a treat from you to you just for the love of good food.
Mandy x
Images from the website except the portrait, which is by Patricia Niven. Recipe from the book, which you can find on Kalahari.
Peaches & Goat’s Cheese With Roasted Almonds
1 round lettuce (butter or cos lettuce will do) washed and broken into leaves
3 flat white peaches, each cut into 8 segments
120g soft rindless goat’s cheese
50g roasted almonds, roughly chopped
4-5 sprigs of coriander, picked
a touch of sea salt
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
For The Dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
1tbs white wine vinegar (I use the Woolies white balsamic for its sweetness)
1/2 tsp orange blossom water
1/2 tsp Demerara sugar (I use a bit more)
a pinch of salt
Makes a light starter for 3-4 people or enough for one greedy guts (moi)
