Viva Brighton Issue #45 November 2016

FOOD
...........................................
The Great British Charcuterie Co.
The perfect place for pedant-provoking paella
The morning I went out shopping for ingredients for the paella I’d planned to
cook, I heard on the news that Spanish chefs were up in arms about Jamie Oliver
using chorizo in his paella recipe. They thought this was sacrilege, because it’s
not the done thing over there.
I thought I’d stand up for libertarian cookery values then, and make a pilgrimage
to the Great British Charcuterie, in the Marina, to get some British chorizo: this
smart new store, which has just opened in that mini shopping plaza behind Asda, only sell British-made meats,
cheeses and wines, and they stock a paprika-infused sausage from North Chailey.
It’s my first visit, and it’s great fun browsing their shiny new shelves and trying out cocktail-stick tasters of their
various products, including Highland Wagyu biltong, Hampshire-made Camembert-style cheese, and Charcoal
Cheddar. Charcoal Cheddar! Apparently a little bit of burnt wood is good for your belly.
Inevitably I leave with much more than just the chorizo: I buy a black-rinded ball of said black cheese (£5.20),
some seaweed-and-cider salami (made in Cornwall, £4 per 100g) and a bottle of red wine, made in Plumpton
(£9.95). I’ve never carried a more exotic bagful of British wares.
And the paella? I fry the chorizo in oil (with some chicken thighs), and it does exactly what the Spanish version
does: oozes out some lovely spicy fat for the rice to soak up later, while maintaining enough taste in its body to
keep as part of the mix. A hit, then: and ya-boo-sucks to Spanish-food pedants. Alex Leith
Photo by Alex Leith
ENGLISH’S OF BRIGHTON
Restaurant & Oyster Bar
SAY ‘VIVA ENGLISH’S!’
TO YOUR WAITER
WHEN YOU NEXT VISIT OUR RESTAURANT
AND GET A FREE GLASS OF PROSECCO!
FREE
GLASS OF
PROSECCO
NEW AUTUMN MENU
OFFER AVAILABLE UNTIL DEC 1ST
englishs.co.uk
29-31 East Street, Brighton,
East Sussex, BN1 1HL