Artisan food - The on-line magazine for lovers of food in the Lake District and Cumbria - Table for 30, no clouds please...what a blast!

Location: Blogs Martins thoughts...
Posted by: admin	Tuesday, May 06, 2008
What a fantastic event it turned out to be. I was there, having slept on the summit and got up for sunrise, fully armed with digital cameras, so here is the link to the video I have just posted. You'll need Flash 8 and a decent broadband link! - The still piccies are below - my original blog is below that - for info. The first course was a wild mushroom and wild garlic soup served with home made bread. This was followed by a confit of seared roast lamb and seared best end of lamb served with damson and rosemary jus. There was also a vegetarian option of roasted butternut squash, pinenut and ricotta crumble. The meal finished with a Grasmere Gingerbread and white chocolate cheesecake served with an orange and crystallised ginger salsa. Enjoy - Martin Gordie Oliver from Air Ventures Paragliding, he handled the logistics of getting up, staying up and attached and getting down. He's the Northern sites officer for the Cumbria soaring club. Paul Chuter from All Terrain Vehicles, Cockermouth supplied the two great little quads that towed the trailers full of gear. We went up to Skiddaw House, then up the side of the fell to the summit of Skiddaw. The three tents were placed a couple of hundred metre shy of the top. In the morning I was greeted with the most incredible sunrise and views. Chef Peter Sidwell runs the Good Taste Cafe in Keswick, he had Kylie Overton working with him on the Wednesday and Dan Grimshaw on the Thursday. Diners were led up the mountain by Everest climber Tim Mosedale, he also served the champage. With the wind gusting to 29mph, fortunately the rare lamb with asparagus and new potatoes stayed on the plate. Of course the guests were dressed for the occasion. Ok, so Gordie did a little "extreme dish washing", just to please the adoring press. Whilst Peter enjoyed a well earned beer. It was truly a blast! - Thanks. Martin If you like a walk and love your food and have Wednesday the 14th of May free, then sign up for a meal at what will be, albeit temporarily, the highest restaurant in the Lake District or for that matter the UK. Yes, if you fancy having a truly local meal atop Skiddaw at over 3000 feet, then be quick, the 30 places will be snapped up. It promises to be a riot, well that is if history repeats itself. Robert Southey from Keswick last dined there with a group of friends in 1815. Strictly speaking they had a bonfire and a booze up on the summit in honour of the Battle of Waterloo. He was accompanied by Lord Sunderlin who rode up the hill on a horse whilst his wife walked. Wordsworth was amongst the band of merry hikers, with his wife, sister and eldest son along with five other friends, various neighbours and three maid-servants. "We roasted beef and boiled plum-puddings there ; sung ' God save the king' round the most furious body of flaming tar-barrels that I ever saw ; drank a huge wooden bowl of punch ; fired cannon at every health with three times three, and rolled large blazing balls of tow and turpentine down the steep side of the mountain. The effect was grand beyond imagination." The Punch they were drinking was being diluted with hot water from a kettle, which Wordsworth accidently kicked over and quietly skulked off. He was sporting a rather conspicuous red cape and so was quickly named as the culprit. After a little teasing from the group he was let off the hook but the drinks had to be consumed neat. Half of the party ended up inebriated. When it was time to descend all the torches were lit at once, and they left a trail of blazing rope and tar marking the path to the bottom. "One fellow was so drunk that his companions placed him upon a horse, with his face to the tail, to bring him down, themselves being just sober enough to guide and hold him on. Down, however, we all got safely by midnight ; and nobody, from the old lord of seventy-seven to my son Herbert, is the worse for the toil of the day, though we were eight hours from the time we set out till we reached home." Maybe this time it will be different, the diners will be led up the mountain by local guide Tim Mosedale who has also climbed Everest. As far as I know there will be no horses. The food will be prepared and cooked by Keswick Chef Peter Sidwell who is going to create a veritable feast out of local ingredients. This event is right up our street, so I'm going to get my video out and record the fun. A fellow paragliding pilot, Gordon Oliver from Air Ventures will be responsible for getting the catering equipment and the Space Station tents up in time for service. All part of the fun during Keswicks Mountain festival in May. To book, call Peter at his Good Taste cafe in Keswick on 017687 75973. For more info about Peter Sidwell, click here. For more info about the Keswick Mountain Festival, click here. Martin

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