Cook it!: Masterful

AK pops in to the tastebud popping Etch Pop-up

Like a great many people I love to watch foodie TV and over the years, despite aversion therapy, I have remained irredeemably hooked on Materchef in its many forms. It goes back to the early days with Lloyd Grossman, covers the Torode and Wallace era, embraced wholeheartedly Michel Roux Jnr and thrills to Monica Galetti…
You see, there I go, hooked – although this year the celebrity version left me cold, none of them seemed to reach any of the great culinary moments of previous celebs although Rylan did make me grin.
Masterchef the Professionals is my favourite and a couple of years ago it was won by Steven Edwards, a chef I had already met when he won the Sussex Food Awards Young Chef of the year award, even then his talent was astonishing and he went on to become head chef at the Michelin starred Camellia at South Lodge. Whilst there he won Masterchef the Professionals and a year from then he finally left to forge a new path with chef partner Josh Stanzl. Together they have created Etch, a company that creates amazing private functions and pop up restaurants.
Last week I spent the day with them in their development kitchen on Shoreham Beach, not on the beach itself of course. It was fascinating seeing them work together, the precision of their working method is inspiring but above all the dishes that they create are both delicious and unique.

That night I joined them at Small Batch Coffee at the corner of Norfolk Square for a one night only pop up called the Etch Journey. Having seen the preparations of the day, only half of the actual work involved, and then the installation of their working kitchen into what is a coffee shop I could hardly wait to taste the results. For me it was a working dinner as I was actually filming them for a new Latest TV documentary, but I did get to eat every course – and I am very glad that I did.
We started with an immaculate beetroot soup, deep, earthy then lifted by a morsel of scorched orange a layer of orange gel and an amazing horseradish ice-cream. Stunning stuff.
Next came belly pork, slowly cooked for 24 hours, then pan fried and given a coffee glaze, yes, coffee and very good it was too, subtle but most definitely there. The accompanying creamy sweetcorn and sweet chilli popcorn added delightful contracts of both flavour and texture.

The main was a piece of beautifully fresh stone bass, simply roasted and served on a bed of orzo with crab meat folded through it. The fish was amazing and so respectfully prepared that its true character sang out and it became clear that these guys are not just about weird combinations but about great ingredients perfectly served.
Next out a fennel cheesecake, served in a jam jar, lid on. It was good, very good and had all the right cheesecake characteristics, but with that delicate fennel kick – what’s not to like.
That was good – and in a way refreshing, which was good as the finally was the most incredible confection of cherry and chocolate. A beautifully fruity parfait was matched to a glossy bitter chocolate ganache and decorated with stoned cherries that had been filled with a sharp yoghurt panacotta. It elicited squeals of delight from around the room of diners who were, almost to a man thrilled by the extraordinary meal that we had just enjoyed.
As I was there on official business I limited myself to one glass of Nyetimber , which was delicious – and finished with a very good coffee. No surprises there as Small Batch do make great coffee.
To find out more about Etch go to their website at www.etchfood.co.uk
Their next pop-up is at Nyetimber Vineyard, Saturday 22nd August