2.4.09

mr. Jamie Oliver cooks a traditional British feast (Welsh lamb and a bakewell tart) for the G20 leaders in London


Some reports say he had a team of 8 chefs.  Others say it was a team of 15.  Whatever the real number was, in the end, one of Britain's great chefs entertained Mr. Obama and the rest of the powerhouse that met over the past few days at the Staple Centre in London for the G20 summit.

I was debating with friends whether the dessert choice (bakewell tart) was a bit understated.  I love the bakewell tart served at Jamie's Italian, don't get me wrong - but I would have liked some combination of  my beloved English strawberries (sadly, they're not in season) and the finest shortbread Mr. Oliver could muster.  

No one got sick (no Fat Duck episodes on Jamie's watch), and the G20 leaders left extremely happy with their meal.  They ended up reaching an agreement afterall today.

Just to recap:

STARTER:  organic Scottish salmon served with samphire and sea kale, and a selection of vegetables from Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

MAIN:  slow-roasted shoulder of lamb from the Elwy Valley in north Wales, with Jersey Royal potatoes, wild mushrooms and mint sauce.

DESSERT:  bakewell tart and custard using free-range eggs from an organic farm (Prince Charles').

And India's PM must have eaten the vegetarian option - a goat’s cheese starter followed by lovage and potato dumplings for the main course.  (shoot, I forgot to mention ABC News in the US did a nice piece on their evening news segment on Jamie)

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