Service! Ashley presents (from left) his fish and chips, faggots with root vegetable mash and roast belly pork.
Nottingham Contemporary, reports JEREMY LEWIS, is offering the ... I
n keeping with a patriotic summer Nottingham Contemporary is giving its diners a taste of the Best of British.
Fish and chips, Welsh rarebit, belly pork and an enthusiastic use of seasonal produce – asparagus and beetroot figured heavily on the menu in June – denote the commitment of Ashley Childs, head chef at the art gallery’s Cafe Bar. “I get excited when new things come into season every year,” says Childs. “I was trying to use English asparagus as much as possible during what is a short season.” Over on the cafe’s Seasonal Table, alongside the asparagus and Coxton Manor cheddar tartlets, accompaniments include an English beetroot salad and for something to go with afternoon tea you can select one of several fabulous cakes from the St Ann’s-based Ecoworks project. You can smell the sharp sweetness as soon as you get with the seasonal rhubarb and orange cake. The Cafe Bar is situated in the lowest level of Nottingham Contemporary, which in just a couple of years has established itself as a significant national player in the presentation of contemporary art.
It offers to gallery visitors an imaginative and distinctive array of goodies starting with breakfasts (served from 10am to noon) and continuing with snacks and full-blown meals covering elevenses, lunch and afternoon tea. It’s a great starting or finishing point for those taking up the last chance to see shows like
BEST OF BRITISH
the current Mika Rottenberg and James Gillray exhibitions, both of which close on July 1, The Cafe Bar is also a contributor to Nottingham Contemporary’s artistic programme, having a programme of evening events at which food is also available. The catering operation is run by Couture, the independent caterers specialising in arts and leisure venues. Its other concessions include Pinewood and Elstree Studios, Manchester Museum and The People’s History Museum, Liverpool Cathedral and Institut Francais. “We specialise in mostly British and quite simple, homely food – nothing too fancy,” says Cafe Bar manager Lucy Hamlin of a business whose website promises fresh,
well-branded food served with a smile. L u cy ’s catering experience ranges from serving on the Butterley Railway dining service to working at a Jewish Country Club in Boston, Massachusetts. More recent catering beats have included Nottingham City Council establishments Wollaton Hall and Newstead Abbey. As for head chef Childs, who heads a
kitchen team of five, it all started in the kitchens of Nottingham’s Masonic Hall. He continued to learn his trade abroad and in Nottingham refined his skills at the much-missed Fresh in Hockley and nearby S h aw ’s of Broad Street. Typical main on the current menu are lemon, garlic and thyme chicken; minute steak with pink peppercorn
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