Held at the private dining room in the revamped Belgraves hotel, the dinner saw Spear’s friends and writers enjoy the cuisine of chef Sophie Michell, the English sparkling wine of Nyetimber and the fine wines of From Vineyards Direct
Spear’s like to get in there early – whether it’s predicting the financial crash or hiring the best young talent – and so we had our summer party last week while others were still working out how to put up their marquee.
Held at the private dining room in the revamped Belgraves hotel, the dinner saw Spear’s friends and writers enjoy the cuisine of chef Sophie Michell, the English sparkling wine of Nyetimber and the fine wines of From Vineyards Direct.
Our guests included John Arlidge (Spear’s, Sunday Times), Clive Aslet (Spear’s, Country Life), literary agent Naomi Aslet, financier Jonathan Bailey, David Campbell (publisher of the Everyman Library and CEO of From Vineyards Direct), Bill Cash MP, William Cash, milliner Laura Cathcart, Henry Harris (head chef, Racine), Nyetimber’s Christian Holthausen, Oscar Humphries (editor of Apollo magazine), Joséphine von Klitzing of de Gournay, journalist and author Harry Mount, Andrew Neil (presenter, Daily Politics, and chairman, Spectator Magazines), actress and screenwriter Charlotte Radford, Emily Rookwood (Spear’s), Christopher Silvester (Spear’s), William Sitwell (editor, Waitrose Kitchen), Josh Spero (Spear’s), Alessandro Tomé (Spear’s, founder, Leap Energy Ltd), property finder Katy Tomé, solicitor Barry Tucker, jewellery designer Celia Weinstock and art adviser Ottilie Windsor.
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There was English sparkling wine to start in Belgraves’ bar (cutely called the Snug) before we moved into the private dining room to become the first official meal in Belgraves, which will be fully reopening its restaurant later this year.
Between courses, William Cash spoke about the guests, stressing he was avoiding the LA convention where guests have to gush about the host, and introduced Sophie Michell, to talk about her concept for the restaurant.
William Sitwell also spoke about his storied family, which includes ‘the first English rapper’, his great-aunt Edith Sitwell; he recited one of her swift-beat tongue-twister poems as evidence.
After dessert had been served, Spear’s deputy editor Christopher Silvester crooned Luck Be a Lady Tonight, to general merriment.
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The menu
Canapés:
Honey-glazed pork belly with fennel slaw
Pea, truffle and borage tartlets
Spiced saffron chicken salad
Lemon and elderflower marinated salmon on soda bread
Bread by Clarke’s Bakery
Poached sea trout, quinoa, fennel, pomegranate and radish salad
Lightly cured beef carpaccio from Lombardy, broad bean salad
and pecorino shavings
Beetroot, endive, candied pecan and goats cheese salad
Rump of Launceston lamb with wild garlic mash, artichokes,
asparagus and apple mint jelly
Pan fried seabass, braised summer vegetables and saffron aioli
Butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter
Chocolate and sea salt caramel tart
Elderflower jellies with honey parfait, shortbread and strawberries
Absinthe truffles and flower marshmallows
(bergamot, orange blossom and rosewater)
