If you follow me on Twitter @sal_godfrey (and if not, why
not?), then you’ll know that last year I set up a Twitter community for Bath’s
independent businesses, @bathindiechat. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to
meet all sorts of amazing people, including the lovely Beth, also known as the Free-Range Chef. A fabulous foodie, she started out freelancing for FareShare
South West’s Surplus Supper Club, which gave her a taste of catering for large
numbers but also opened her eyes to the huge problems of food waste. Now she’s
committed to seasonal ingredients and sustainability. When she started her
business she also made a commitment to try and say yes to whatever
she was asked to do, and it’s taken her on all sorts of adventures cooking for
exciting events across Europe. When she’s not gadding about, she organises
pop-ups and supper clubs in and around Bath, and when she invited me to her
latest event – theme: pizza and puddings – it didn’t take me very long to say
yes.
For January’s pop-up pizzeria, we made our way to Holt,
where the village hall had been transformed into a cosy little restaurant for
the evening, full of nice touches. Bright mismatched vases on the tables were
filled with daffodils and pussy willow, while tealights in jam jars were placed
on stacks of old hardbacks. The much-anticipated puddings were already laid out
amongst fairylights and scattered physalis, and the air was full of delicious
smells. We started out with three different pizzas – Somerset goats cheese
& balsamic mushroom, classic margherita, and marinara with purple sprouting
and pesto. They were all tasty but the goat cheese was the standout for me – a
gorgeous combination with the balsamic mushrooms.
Although I loved the pizzas, it’s the puddings that stole
my heart – in fact, it’s very hard to pick a favourite. We had crisp, pale pink
meringues flavoured with rose and pistachio, mini pasticciotti (little filled
tarts) with bergamot custard, dreamy sherry syllabub and Seville orange &
cardamom brownies which tasted like they were almost pure chocolate. In keeping
with her no-waste policy, Beth provided us all with little takeaway boxes to
fill with our favourite delights, and I’m not ashamed to say our whole table
got stuck in.
For two delicious courses, the evening was just £25 a
ticket, or £20 to Holt residents (a lovely little touch I think), and you can
bring along your own tipples. Beth’s menus are usually vegetarian and offer
vegan and gluten-free options too, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. We had a fabulous time and I’d thoroughly recommend
getting a group of friends together for one of Beth’s events! Check out the Free-Range Chef website for
more information as well as great recipes and, of course, stories of all her
latest adventures…
Coming up on the 17th of March: #bathindiechat and The Free Range Chef are collaborating on a fabulous supper club at Barton St Wine Bar! It's going to be a delicious event with three courses of feasting boards inspired by European cuisine, for just £30 a head. Get more info and book tickets by clicking here.
If you follow me on Twitter @sal_godfrey (and if not, why
not?), then you’ll know that last year I set up a Twitter community for Bath’s
independent businesses, @bathindiechat. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to
meet all sorts of amazing people, including the lovely Beth, also known as the Free-Range Chef. A fabulous foodie, she started out freelancing for FareShare
South West’s Surplus Supper Club, which gave her a taste of catering for large
numbers but also opened her eyes to the huge problems of food waste. Now she’s
committed to seasonal ingredients and sustainability. When she started her
business she also made a commitment to try and say yes to whatever
she was asked to do, and it’s taken her on all sorts of adventures cooking for
exciting events across Europe. When she’s not gadding about, she organises
pop-ups and supper clubs in and around Bath, and when she invited me to her
latest event – theme: pizza and puddings – it didn’t take me very long to say
yes. 
