2Y2DXSn3j

AN EXCITING CONCEPT – A DELICIOUS MEAL!
Article by Caroline Fisher with personal research by Jenni Turner
ENTERPRISING local chef Alex Edgecombe took a punt on the former prison at
Northleach to create a fine dining experience. Seeing the café’s potential, he held his
first ‘Pop Up’ dinner under his company name The Little Pickle in April, following its
success with a second evening in May, and – luckily for savvy diners – he has plans for
more.
Outstanding dishes in a four-course Gourmet Tasting Menu delighted 30 diners on
each occasion. The 27-year-old, from Moreton, said: “The venue is somewhere
people often go during the day but probably hadn’t thought about it as a dining place
in the evening. It was an opportunity to showcase my food and promote the venue. I
transformed a friendly café to a fine dining space with dim lights and an intimate
atmosphere.
“Guests had a pre-dinner drink and canapé and were then invited to their tables,
beautifully laid with linen tablecloths and my own crockery.”
M E N U
Pressed ham hock, crispy quails egg, peas & shoots
Cornish crab salad, apple and cucumber slaw, devilled crab beignet and
cucumber gazpacho
Roast rump of lamb, sweetbreads, truffled onion & asparagus, lamb jus
White chocolate & cardamom parfait, lavender shortbread, textures of
rhubarb
“ If you have watched Master-Chef and envied the invited diners (in that case, food
critics) the opportunity to taste top-quality food, beautifully prepared and presented
by someone who’s dedication and commitment to first class cooking is almost tangible
…..then look out for The Little Pickle and Alex Edgecombe’s Pop Up at The Old
Prison.
The Old Prison building doesn’t ooze charm and intimacy, but with a warm
welcome, well-informed and interested staff, the evening was a delight and shouldn’t be
missed. The food was beautifully presented, each course clearly chosen with flair and
confidence and, although we aren’t experts, it was cooked with care and designed to
please. Nothing disappointed.
“A chosen menu will always lead to expectations – we were delighted with the quality
and deliciousness of the food presented on each new plate.”
Alex Edgecombe
Private Chef
Remarkably, the adventurous bespoke private caterer is self-taught. Graduating with
a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering, Alex clearly felt his path lay in food. “I
knew my life was always going to be in catering but I didn’t want to go back to
college, so I thought I’d dive in at the low end and work my way up.” After working
for a large events company in London he became a full-time chef for luxury catered
ski chalet company Scott Dunn, where his personal cooking style evolved. He then set
up The Little Pickle, producing pickles, relishes and chutneys from which the catering
sprang.
The Little Pickle
e: info@thelittlepickle.co.uk
m: 07966724695
w: www.thelittlepickle.co.uk
Pop Ups are not new in the area - Moreton and Stow have hosted Pop Up shops in
otherwise empty premises, replacing blank façades with a new and potentially
vibrant experience to attract new customers and encourage passers-by to stop. The
opportunity is always short-term but, for a new business such as Alex Edgecombe’s
The Little Pickle, a Pop Up provides an invaluable way to promote skills and
expertise, or test-drive a new idea – and create a buzz in an otherwise quiet area.
9