Verjuice The Event Petersham Nurseries Cafe & Slow Food London have great Verjuice, the juice of unripe grapes, has the tartness of lemon juice and the acidity of vinegar without the harshness of either, which pleasure in inviting you to the UK’s first Verjuice Taste Workshop makes it an extraordinarily versatile ingredient. Used widely during and Lunch. Medieval European cooking (including in Britain where it was made from plums, crab apples and even sorrel) it was also once a Sunday 22 January staple of French provincial cooking and in 1856 is believed to have 12.15 Verjuice Taste Workshop with Maggie Beer replaced vinegar in Dijon mustard. Verjuice is also referred to in the In this workshop we’ll learn about the history of verjuice and Cooking with Verjuice 16th Century Libro de Guisado (Catalan) where it is listed as a why it is an indispensable ingredient in the kitchen as Maggie primary sauce ingredient in fish dishes. It is also known in Italy as demonstrates its uses. The workshop will include a tasting of Taste Workshop & Lunch agresto, in Iran as abghooreh and in Lebanon as hosrum. verjuice from different countries (including Britain) and of Maggie’s extraordinary products, including Desert Pearl, a non with Now enjoying a worldwide renaissance, largely due to the efforts of alcoholic sparkling wine that won critical and popular acclaim in Australia’s Maggie Beer (grower, producer, cook and author) it is Australia this Christmas. wonderful with game, poultry, seafood and vegetables and is £30.00 / adult Maggie Beer particularly useful in sauces and dressings. Its delicacy also makes it an invaluable ingredient for desserts - particularly with quinces, £25.00 / Slow Food member The producer, cook & author who has led verjuice’s strawberries and soft or stone fruits. international renaissance since 1984. 2.00 Lunch Today, verjuice is mainly produced in the New World wine Three courses prepared by Maggie Beer and Petersham Nurseries territories - Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA Cafe’s incredibly talented chef, Skye Gyngell and her team, using (California and New York State)- and by one Spanish producer. As seasonal local and regional produce to prepare dishes that truly it is particularly difficult to obtain in the United Kingdom, limited demonstrate the extraordinary versatility and delicate flavour of supplies of verjuice will be available to purchase at the event. verjuice ( including dessert made using rare verjuice aged by some of Maggie’s English friends). Inclusive of wine & tea/coffee Maggie Beer £60.00 / adult £50.00 / Slow Food member Maggie Beer is one of Australia’s culinary treasures. Renowned for her love of regional produce and for championing traditional Copies of Maggie’s book, Cooking with Verjuice, will be methods, Maggie has spent much of the last twenty years working available for sale on the day. to develop and raise the profile of regional produce in Australia. During this time, she has worked with Australia’s most respected Who Should Attend? chefs, growing and developing produce and products previously Chefs, specialist retailers, producers and those who simply love unavailable to them. Petersham Nurseries Cafe to cook. She operated the Barossa Valley’s famous Pheasant Farm restaurant Sunday 22 January 2006 with her husband, Colin, for fifteen years, making verjuice for most Slow Food London of that time. Since closing the restaurant in 1993, she has Slow Food London began in 1998 and is one of the most active established a kitchen in Tanuda to develop regional products. local convivia in the world. As the local expression of the Slow Visitors to the Barossa Valley (South Australia) can sample these Food philosophy it is a voluntary, non profit association and local produce at Maggie’s thriving Farm Shop near Nuriootpa. representing more than 500 members in the greater metropolitan area. It hosts many educational and pleasurable events and works “I can’t honestly tell you how many times I came across the Maggie is also a writer, having written for The Australian and best directly with small local and regional producers and others from magic word ‘verjuice’ before I looked it up. And then the selling cooking books: Maggie’s Farm; Maggie’s Orchard ‘Cooking further a field as part of its programme of international exhange. with Verjuice’ and Stephanie Alexander & Maggie Beer’s Tuscan penny dropped. This was the obvious product for us to make Cookbook. Her own story is one of passion, determination and as vignerons and for me to use in the restaurant. As a cook Slow Food London is one of 35 local chapters in Britain that are incredible generosity. We are delighted that we are finally able to enjoy part of Slow FoodUK which is working to develop a food culture I have the facility of being able to ‘taste’ what I read about her company on these shores. based on good food and good farming in Britain. and I knew this was an ingredient I could really embrace.” Maggie Beer www.maggiebeer.com.au For more information and to join: www.slowfood.com 0800 917 1232 Petersham Nurseries Cafe BOOKING FORM Petersham Nurseries & Cafe are uniquely located, adjacent to Richmond Park and Petersham Meadows within London’s Please complete and return the booking form to: historic Arcadia* which runs along the Thames from Wendy Fogarty c/- Petersham Nurseries Cafe Teddington to Kew. Areas of incredible beauty and sensitivity, Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane (off Petersham Road), they are worthy of preservation for the enjoyment of residents Petersham, Surrey TW10 7AG and visitors (and future generations). We encourage visitors to use public transport or the extensive Tel: 0208 605 3627 parking facilities that are available nearby (in Richmond, Ham Email: [email protected] and Richmond Park) from which we can be reached by short www.petershamnurseries.com walks along the river or through the park. We are also located on the cycle routes from Richmond, Kingston and Teddington Cancellation Policy: Refunds cannot be given for (see www.sustrans.org.uk). Fast trains travel from Waterloo to cancellations received less than 72 hours in advance of Richmond station where bus no. 65 takes you to Petersham the event. Thank You. Road (allow 10 minutes and ask for the stop opposite the Dysart Pub). Name: Verjuice Verjus Due to our location within a conservation area, Petersham Address: Nurseries Cafe is only open for lunches from Wednesday - Sunday. Post Code: The acid juice extracted Contact Tel. No.: Tel: 0208 605 3627 Email: from large unripened grapes, Email: [email protected] www.petershamnurseries.com (for directions). which was formerly widely used I would like to book: as a sauce ingredient, a condiment, * London’s Arcadia is recognised as one of the world’s great places for the Verjuice Taste Workshop @ £30.00/ urban landscapes. It is an aim of the Thames Landscape Slow Food Member and £35.00/ adult and in deglazing. In the Middle Ages, vertjus Strategy to take this remarkable landscape to a standard worthy of UNESCO Heritage Status. places for the Verjuice Lunch @ £50.00/ (literally ‘green juice’) was an acid-tasting Slow Food Member and £60.00/ adult stock prepared with the juice of unripe Verjuice ~ Recommended Reading Beer, Maggie. Cooking with Verjuice. Viking, Australia. 2001 Please note that the lunch features a set menu - if you are grapes, sometimes mixed with lemon or vegetarian, please specify & introduce yourself on the day: Beer, M. Maggie’s Orchard. Viking, Australia. 1997. sorrel juice, herbs, and spices. It was used in most sauces and liaisons. Beer, M. Maggie’s Farm. Allen & Unwin, Australia. 1993. Payment Methods: Cheques: made payable to Petersham Nurseries Beer, M. Maggie’s Table. Penguin, London. 2005. Larousse Gastronomique Credit Card (please tick): Beer, M. & Alexander, S. Stephanie Alexander & Maggie Beer’s Tuscan Cookbook - Recipes & Reminiscences from their Italian Visa Mastercard Switch Other: Cooking School. Laurel Glen Publishing, Australia. 2003. (American Express & Diners Club not accepted) Hammond, P. W. Food & Feast in Medieval England. Sutton Start Date: MM YY Publishing, Gloucestershire. 1995 Expiry: MM YY Riley, Gillian. Renaisssance Recipes (Painters & Food). Pomegranate Art Books, UK. Card Number: Santich, Barbara. The Orginal Mediterranean Cuisine. Cardholder’s Name: Wakefield Press, Australia. 1995. Signature:.