Bermondsey Street

Delfina has been the beating heart of Bermondsey Street for over 20 years with its imaginative brasserie menu and collection of contemporary art.

Bermondsey Street is one of those quietly cool streets with the formidable Zandra Rhodes holding court at the Fashion & Textiles Museum and José Pizarro drawing the crowds to his relatively new sherry and tapas bar, José.

Last week, I was invited to a Bermondsey Street ‘love-in’ at Delfina, to discover more about Bermondsey Street Bees and welcome new resident, jeweller Alex Monroe, to the neighbourhood.

After a talk from local beekeeper Dale Gibson and Alex Monroe about his bee themed designs, we tucked into a 3 course dinner, created by head chef Stuart Dring, using Bermondsey Street Honey.

The starter of Bermondsey Honey, Fig and Shallot Tart was well-constructed but a little on the sweet side. The pastry and the honey mustard dressing were excellent, but the tart needed something to balance the flavours.

The tart was matched with Hacienda Araucano Sauvignon Blanc, Chile 2010, a delicious, refreshing white wine with a slight sweetness.

The main course of Braised Shoulder of Norfolk Pork with Bermondsey Honey & Bramley Apple Gratin and Cider Jus really was excellent. The pork, rolled into a ballotine, was juicy, tender and well-seasoned.

The potato gratin was given a new twist with the addition of the honey and bramley apple, which was noticeable yet subtle. I enjoyed every mouthful and would order this dish again without a moment of hesitation.

The pork was served with a pleasant, rounded red wine – Les Salices Pinot Noir Francois Lurton, France, 2010.

The Williams Pear and Vanilla Cheesecake and Bermondsey Honey Sorbet was an absolute triumph! The vanilla pod cheesecake filling was a little softer than usual, but it was deliciously creamy and went well with the sweet pear coulis and thick, chunky biscuit base.

The whole room was buzzing with talk of the exquisite honey sorbet. It was so delicate and light – a great new food discovery.

I always look forward to dessert wine and I loved the pairing of the cheesecake with a glass of Royal Tokajo Late Harvest, Hungary, 2009.

After dinner, we watched the honey being removed from the honeycombs. To extract the liquid, the honey combs were scorched using a kind of industrial hair dryer and were put in a large barrel. It was then spun at high speed to drain the honey, which was filtered through the tap, ready to be collected in a bucket.

We all tried a spoonful of freshly-collected Bermondsey Street Honey and I was astounded at just how different it tastes to even the premium supermarket honeys. It had aromatic, ‘green’ flavours of elderflower, dill and lime and the sweetness was an after-taste, not the main attraction.

It was great to experience Delfina’s use of honey on the menu and to now know the enormous difference between fresh local honey and its less inspiring supermarket counterparts.

The three dishes are available on the a la carte menu until 11th November 2011.

All photos by Chérie City.

Chérie City was a guest of Delfina.

After showing minimal Swedish style and the evolution of underwear this year, the Fashion and Textile Museum has gone back to its favourite era to honour the influential but somewhat overlooked, Foale and Tuffin.

Sixties design legends Mary Quant, Ossie Clark and Biba are considered the leaders of the swinging London style movement, but those that were lucky enough to be there will remember that Foale and Tuffin was ‘what cool girls wore’.

checked suit

Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin played a major part in London’s ‘Youthquake’ and were the label to be seen in by the Mod girls of Carnaby Street and posh bohemians on the King’s Road. Replicating couture by Paris-based designers like Dior and Balenciaga was the most likely career route for RCA graduates, but Foale and Tuffin wanted to break out and create their own functional but stylish clothes for Britain’s new independent and free-spirited girls.

lace-and-red

Foale and Tuffin’s designs have an apparent femininity and innocence, but there is no key formula to their style. They have gone from creating pop and sports-inspired shift dresses to moody, Bloomsbury-style smocks with wallpaper prints in dark ochre and bottle green.

Wandering round the exhibition, I felt a bit nostalgic for all my handmade childhood clothes, which were obviously inspired by Foale and Tuffin. There were look-a-likes of my beloved purple wool coat with grey corduroy lapels from when I was four years-old and my dark floral smock dresses. Even the sixties soundtrack being played reminded me of Sunday afternoons spent having fittings and playing with the mannequin in my grandma’s sewing room.

clothes and rails

For the exhibition, they have recreated the Foale and Tuffin boutique, workroom and design studio. You can see their exquisite sketches and illustrations, their sewing table and patterns and images of models like Twiggy wearing their clothes on the covers of Vogue, ELLE and Harper and Queen.

sketch

Foale and Tuffin’s influence on fashion is still evident today – the resurgence of velvet and lace, Liberty prints, floral dresses and boyfriend jackets can be pinpointed back to their collections. Psych girl band Ipso Facto, VV Brown and even, dare I say, Peaches Geldof owe their style to Foale and Tuffin.

I love it that Fashion and Textile Museum hasn’t relied on drawing the big name designers to get fashion lovers through the door but has once again offered an alternative education on fashion history beyond the mainstream. The range of garments and the fine attention to detail make it the must-see exhibition of the season – I can’t recommend it enough!

Foale and Tuffin: Made in England runs from 23 October until February 2010. Ticket prices are £6.50 for adults, £3.50 for students and concessions, free entry for under 12s.

Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF

Bermondsey Bees at Delfina

Foale and Tuffin: Made in England retrospective