Foraged Food: Gimmick or the height of chic?

We think: wild food rocks

This summer, acclaimed UK chef Simon Rogan opened Fera at Claridge’s, London. The premise – to ‘capture the true essence of nature through its textures, tastes and sense of perpetual evolution’. But what is wild or foraged food? Is it worth it? Or are we just paying hundreds of pounds for a weird mushroom?

There’s a jar on the table in front of me. Inside is lettuce, a lemon creme fraiche, and five or six ants. Yes, ants. This isn’t a case of a fly in the soup, these insects are supposed to be here. It is summer 2012 and this is foraged food at pop-up restaurant A Taste of Noma at Claridge’s.

The ants have in fact come all the way from Denmark, shipped in by world number one chef Rene Redzepi to add a lemongrass taste to the starter. I am less than convinced. They are moving…

Ok, so the ants are at the extreme of the foraged / wild food movement, but the philosophy itself has been attracting acclaim and criticism in equal measures. This summer Claridge’s embraced it again, permanently, with Simon Rogan’s Fera. 

So what is foraged food? It isn’t just a few weeds picked in a wood and slapped onto a plate. The philosophy stretches further than that. It is about local ingredients, farmed and wild, picked in their prime. It’s about exploring historic and underused foods to create new tastes and new experiences. And despite the foams and jellies that pop up now and again, it’s the antithesis of the fussy French cooking that blighted the nineties.

And right now, it is hot. Simon Rogan’s flagship restaurant, L’Enclume in Cartmel, Yorkshire, was voted Britain’s best restaurant in the Good Food Guide for the second year running. Fera claimed a Michelin star just four and a half months after opening. Noma is still number one on the San Pellegrino ‘World’s50 Best Restaurants’ list.

But is it worth it? A seven-course tasting menu at Fera will set you back £95 (without wine). Think: John Dory with leeks, crosnes, borage and rotor clams, or aerated rose hip mousse, anise hyssop, sweet potato and white chocolate… At Noma it’s about £170 for a lengthy tasting menu including cured egg yolk potato and elderflower or flatbread with wild roses. It’s hyper-local and foraged, but this isn’t your grandma’s hedgerow jam. We’re not just talking about an oddly shaped mushroom orb ancient berry, we are looking at carefully considered dishes, using some familiar and some unheard-of ingredients. Redzepi’s turbot is accompanied by nasturtium; Rogan pairs prawns from Gairloch with kale in hyssop cream and crispy pork. The ants at the Noma pop-up felt gimmicky, but the rest of the menus are wild ingredients beautifully integrated into Michelin-worthy dishes.

And yes, you could find them yourself. If you knew where to look. Rogan, Redzepi and the like aren’t just fishing about in their back yards and cooking the first thing they come across, they are reaching out to expert suppliers, relying on generations of knowledge that ensures they have the best ingredients at the best time. Exploring forgotten flavours and taking the time to investigate, test and innovative with these ancient ingredients. And taking the time to find local suppliers. A prawn might just be a prawn, but to these chefs, its provenance and proximity are essential to the final taste of the dish.

Saying that foraged food is just food that anyone can collect is like saying that Michelin-starred food just uses ingredients from the supermarket. Maybe it does. So why do we bother eating it - why go out for dinner at all except to save on the washing up?

It is the experience. The magic of new flavours, new combinations and textures. It makes you think about what you are eating and where it came from. The selection of those ingredients and the artistry that goes into their preparation and combination creates that magic. Wild food is more than just choosing the best of available ingredients and having the imagination to turn them into something mouth watering. It is research, passion; it demonstrates a real affinity for, and love of, the landscape around you. And it inspires this in other people.

The wonder of Fera, Noma etc isn't just the dishes, but it is thinking behind them. These dishes are made from things that grow outside - be that flora or fauna. It makes you wonder at the bounty of nature we have on our doorstep. And that is the real magic.

(In case you’re wondering. I didn’t eat the ants. But I am reliably informed they were delicious.)

Is foraged food a fad? Would you eat at Fera? How important are locally sourced ingredients to you? Let us know in the comments.

How Did They Get Here? What made today's luxury brands first stand out?

Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier… some of the largest names in fashion are as well known today as emperors were in the past. With such international recognition, it is rare that anyone questions why or how these power brands got there in the first place.

We all know they are famed for their quality of design and craftsmanship – but that is part and parcel of where they are today. When these brands first started, how did they differentiate themselves? Why does one luxury brand succeed over another? It is rare that we consider why one particular luxury brand first managed to stand out.
Was it a ground-breaking technical breakthrough? A beautiful design? A helping hand from royalty?
We’ve taken a look at three of the biggest designer brands. Read on to find out what it took to first make a name for themselves in the world of fashion. 

Louis Vuitton: At the age of just 13, Louis Vuitton ran away from his home in the East of France. Apparently the victim of a cruel step mother, he walked for over 2 years, taking short term work to support himself, until he got to Paris. After finding a job as an apprentice at a box packing shop (a respectable and fashionable profession), he was fortunate enough over time to catch the attention of Emperor Napoleon’s wife Eugenie, who used his packing services helping create a name for himself.
However, at this point Vuitton was merely one of several highly-skilled tradesmen making luxury packing and trunks.
So what did Mr Vuitton do to revolutionise the world of fashion? The answer is astoundingly simple.
He made a rectangular suitcase.
Up until then, all suitcases were dome shaped, but Louis noticed that rectangular suitcases could be easily stacked, making packing much simpler.
Nowadays this might seem obvious but at the time, it was a revolutionary breakthrough and the birth of modern day luggage.
After that LV went from strength to strength, but it’s fascinating that, for all the design credentials of the company today, it was a technical change that helped propel Louis into the spotlight. 

Cartier: Surprisingly, Cartier was already in its third generation of ownership before it made a name for itself. Founded by Louis-Francois Cartier and then his son Alfred Cartier, it was his grandsons Louis, Pierre and Jacques who helped Cartier achieve worldwide fame.
This fame was handed to them in the form of a wristwatch. Up until this point, pilots had issues trying to use pocket watches whilst flying and in a conversation with an aviator friend the brothers decided to attach a strap, thus creating Cartier’s first men’s wristwatch. It was an overnight success and helped spring-board the brand’s expansion.
Strangely, it was not even the World’s first wristwatch- created some 40 years before by Patek Philippe- but it was the first mainstream men’s watch and this helped it gain attention. Once again, it is surprising that the major breakthrough for the company came not from design, but from a technical modification that improved their product. 

Prada: This is another example of a brand that only reached stratospheric heights when it reached its third generation of ownership – in this case when the extremely talented Miuccia Prada inherited it.
The line that stood Prada out and helped it to worldwide acclaim was a series of black nylon handbags with understated labelling. The trick here was completely paving her own way forward in fashion – at the time any serious power brand was emblazing logos all over their products, yet Prada chose to barely promote hers. Whilst the bags took some time to get selling to their price point, they soon gained momentum and once Prada was in the spotlight, there was no turning back. Prada has continued to grow on this same basis – following no trends and simply going with her own impression of style. Interestingly, Prada has had no formal training as a designer, which could be argued has helped her to remain fresh and unique.

It’s fascinating to see the variety of ways that different brands have come to fruition – some by technical innovation, others by a unique design, some by being endorsed by the right people.
For Lolo & Galago, we believe it is true dedication to exceptional, unique design that ultimately stands the test of time and is appreciated by people around the World. 

London Scene: Tom Parker Bowles Launches New Book 'Let's Eat Meat' At Fortnum & Mason's

Tom Parker Bowles hosted the launch of his new book  'Let's Eat Meat' at Fortnum & Mason in London. Meat was on the mind at Fortnum & Mason’s and  there was an interesting take on all infusions: spiced venison tartare, cottage pie, roast rib of beef, Lancashire hotpot, lamb cutlets, Cornish pasties and more were offered with wines to compliment. No wonder the London Scene socialites Nicky Haslam, Ben Elliot, Rachel Johnson and Mark Hix stayed all night. Guy Chambers performed an impromptu set on the piano and the party continued on at the Groucho Club, London.

 

London Scene: Tom Parker Bowles launches is new book

In attendance was the Duchess of Cornwall to support her son and Nicky Haslam, the Interior Designer.

 

In terms of artists, the inspirational Mario Testino and Jan Olsen were discussing designs and fashion.

Polly Morgan and Lara Bohinc  whose work is on display at Fortnum and Masons, London enjoyed the evening.

A Sneak Preview of Spring Summer S15 – Key Beauty Looks

A Sneak Preview of Spring Summer S15 – Key Beauty Looks

The keys trends for next year are out and for all the fashion stylists out there, we have the key looks to stay on trend in 2015. Firstly, pony tails and laits are here to stay – the long plait was seen across many of the runways which was loosely woven in a relaxed style. Braids are here to stay for another season. 

Jeanie Syfu lead stylist for Marissa Webb used BW by Beauty Works to add texture and thickness to her runway braids.

Make Up – In terms of make up, the ‘ natural look’ continues to stay on trend – in terms of styling the runways look was a lighter foundations mixed with gold shades of blusher to highlight the contour lines of the cheek. The core impact, in terms of beauty, was focused around the lips – where red fushia, coral orange in matt dominated.

In terms of jewellery – it is all about the eyebrows - thick eyebrows with punk jewellery will be a key trend next year and will compliment the punk vibe. Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy brought back the 90’s eyebrow look with each girl wearing 14 eyebrow rings.

Rings layered on all fingers and nail varnish duo art continues to be massive. Nail art is a growing trend and just when everyone thought Shellac would take over – think again, graffiti, sparkles,  multi coloured complimented with stacking rings on any finger and thumb are all in.

Written by Rosie May Reddington

London Fashion Week 2014 – Best of British

London’s Fashion Week came a week after the Vote of Independence, and show cased the Best of  British design. This week it was all about the SS2015 collection which was inspired by 1960-70’s Flower Power, Rainbow, Punk and Sports Luxe.

Matthew Williamson's Collection

Ruffles, feathers, sequins and exotic style too held centre stage, it seemed bold is brilliant. There was a lot of exotic shades dominating the catwalk in aqua, orange and hot pink.

House of Holland SS15 - If there's was one message it was Flower Power is here to stay.

Nude and Barely Bare continues to be a big trend with Sheer and Nudes being exposed on the runway.

Seductive seemed like the order of the day, but beware loud, whimsical and avant-garde is here and we saw brightly coloured frou-frou skirts, bold prints, knitwear, with cherry red, whites, oranges and blues.

Punk and Crops tops with sweatpants and slashed jumpers continued the sports-luxe theme.

 In summary,  tops and skirts featuring geometric patterns on light coloured fabric, covered by a mesh to create an optical illusion, florals and the power of print  reflected in Topshops Unique collection, punk and luxe chic, nude, sparkles and sheer will form part of the strong trends for 2015.

New York Fashion Week – it is all about Wearable Tech

Technology is driving the latest look in fashion this week in New York,  cutting-edge techno, block colour and sports fabrics grabbed the spotlight. 'Technology is what's moving fashion forward,' said Ken Downing, Fashion Director at Neiman Marcus.

 High-tech accessories, like Tory Burch's Fitbit are expected to dominate Spring Trends this device tracks steps, calories and sleep cycles.

 High-tech high-fashion: Rebecca Minkoff is also developing wearable technology with the launch of two bracelets which includes a notification bracelet that lights up when you receive a call or text from contacts. 'It's a coating. It's a finish,' she said. 'That's pushing the business forward.' The newest fabrics are making garments, even shoes, stretchy, softer and more comfortable as well, she added. 'Everything is easy to wear,' she said. 'Everything moves with the body.'  The influence of high-tech fabrics on fashion is key but to the untrained eye can go unnoticed, said Clare Varga, who is active at WGSN.

Ralph Lauren also launched its Polo Tech shirt which transmits biometric data to a smart phone or tablet and Apple is introducing its new smart watch - dubbed the iWatch – whatever your thoughts, tech is taking over.

Written by Rosie May Reddington