Tonbridge has a great deal of energy at the moment and some of that is thanks to the foodie scene and the people who are taking a leap of faith and going for it. Daron Goldfinch was one of those people four and a half years ago. If you hadn’t already realised from the name, Daron is the man behind Finch House, the café that brightened up our High Street & kick started the boom that we’re now enjoying. Despite the growth of Tonbridge’s café culture since then, Daron has managed to stave off competition and remain a stalwart on our High Street thanks to the high quality of his food and service, two of Daron’s passions. Daron trained as a surveyor but then decided to follow his dream of working in the food & drink industry. This journey saw him training with Starbucks (before we knew who Starbucks were); learning about coffee in Italy; opening some coffee shops of his own and then consulting for Konditor & Cook, the cult London cake bakers. During this time he realised that there was a gap in the market for a café that served “the best quality food, sourced locally, made fresh that day”, he tells me. He returned to his home town, and despite the nay-sayers telling him “he was mad”, opened Finch House. “Made by Us” is award-winning Finch House’s slogan which concisely sums up their ethos. Quality of taste is very important to Daron & they do use produce sourced as locally as possible – Kent cherries, Sussex Ham & Owlett’s juices to name but a few – in their diverse menu full of tempting small dishes and treats. Their coffee is a bespoke blend (using coffee beans that are also found in some of the country’s Michelin starred restaurants) and all the mouth-watering cakes and pastries are made on site. The Finch House experience could also be described as “Made by Us”. The quality of the customer service they deliver is tested month on month by mystery shoppers who document their findings in detailed reports (praised staff members are awarded vouchers). Daron is a great employer (don’t worry Daron didn’t tell me this himself – I have my inside sources) and is repaid with loyalty – many of his staff has been with him for a sizeable chunk of his four and a half year tenure. And Daron, the ‘good egg’, doesn’t stop there. He is keen to support local events such as the Tonbridge Half Marathon and the Dragon Boat Racing, local schools (he supports three around the town) and local charity Porchlight – at the end of each working day, any surplus food is donated to them. Porchlight tell me that “this really helps young people who are struggling with money, people who are on benefits and perhaps have to wait for their benefits to come through….we also use the food for our outreach programme. We’ll take some of the food with us to give to homeless people .” Daron was the first Tonbridge foodie pioneer, in my opinion, and he has paved the way for many more eating places. He really fired up people’s imaginations about what Tonbridge could become. Finch House is constantly striving to improve and evolve not only within its café but as a brand itself – there is now a Finch House Orpington and a third one is in planning. This birdie is spreading its wings… It’s great that Tonbridge can say it hosts the flagship café of a very successful, homegrown brand. Good luck to Daron & the team at the Kent Life & Kent on Sunday Food & Drink Awards on Monday- they’re entered in the Best Cafe’ category! If you’d like to learn more about the charity Porchlight, click here. Daron has kindly donated a prize for the Eat Around Tonbridge ’12 Days of Feastmas’ competition so remember to keep checking the website, Twitter (@eat_tonbridge) or Facebook page. I’m also now on Instagram- eat_tonbridge. To read about Tonbridge’s other foodie pioneers in their fields, click here for Ben Sulston of Sulston’s Kitchen and here for The Old Fire Station.
Tag: SOUP
3 days, 2 meals, 1 venue – Eating at The Old Fire Station, Tonbridge 11 & 13 May
‘Why would you go back to the same place twice in one week?’ I hear you cry. Well, that’s because the venue is the Old Fire Station in Tonbridge, & variety is their signature dish. In one week in May, The Old Fire Station was transformed into an art gallery for South East Open Studios, & subsequently charitably hosted ‘Empty Bowls’ in aid of The Bridge Trust & Anglo-Dutch chef Justin Brown’s two night residency. If the events are the variables, then the venue is the constant: the high ceilings give the room space & those old fire station doors lend some light, supplemented by retro pendants; there are shared, wide, wooden, rustic tables, eight to a table (32 covers in total) and there’s a large bar at one end which is where the chefs plate-up, fascinating to watch – it really is as if you’re at a chef’s table. So you experience fine dining but in a very informal, almost European-family way: you & your fellow diners are sharing bread, whilst being able to chat to the chefs, give them immediate feedback, if you like, & ask questions. This is unique in Tonbridge & around, & that’s what makes the whole evening very different to other nights eating out. You don’t go to one of TOFS’ events expecting to eat ordinary food thanks to the calibre of chefs they can attract. And on both nights, we were treated to some really special & in some cases, unusual flavours. My ‘Empty Bowls’ bowl The ‘Empty Bowls’ night was inspired by similar fundraising nights in the US: the Tonbridge version involved diners receiving a brown paper bag at their table place, within which was a handmade bowl or hand painted bowl. The bowls were really varied in style & colours &, of course, each one was unique. Three top chefs had created soups for the event, all of which had a different approach to a traditional recipe. The first soup was placed into my new bowl – I say placed because there wasn’t a traditional soup ladle in sight, such was the architecture that went into it. Daniel Hatton’s take on pea & ham soup – delicious Daniel Hatton’s soup was no ordinary pea & ham soup – the chunky pieces of ham hock at the bottom brought depth to the flavour of the bowl as well as a good salty edge – not too much at all; and the freshly shelled, sweet, peas transported me to my Gran’s garden, early 1980s, when we’d shell peas and occasionally/frequently pop one in our mouths. The edible flowers gave the dish vibrancy. The next soup was Jamie Halsall’s chicken, pearl barley & wild garlic, the latter filling our noses as it came to the table. Jamie’s soup was earthy & satisfying, pearl barley providing texturewhilst Ben Sulston’s Thai-infused butternut squash warmed our taste buds with an exotic heat. The Bakehouse at 124 in Tonbridge had baked the delicious bread we all shared – quite a few of us shed any refinement & used it to mop up the bottom of our bowls. This was a tough act to follow for Justin Brown, the British chef who resides in Holland – he told me that he loves doing pop-up events & had been looking forward to this one, a five course tasting menu. (The full menu is at the end of the blog.) It’s worth noting/marvelling that Justin cooked all of his food in the TOFS kitchen which is tiny & according to trusted sources ‘worse than a student kitchen’. He cooked on four hobs, not in an oven at all (other chefs have brought induction hobs & set-up ovens behind the bar). Justin Brown’s Cauliflower Risotto There were three courses that really made me sit-up. Cauliflower risotto – This might not sound appealing & it didn’t necessarily look appealing (a fellow diner said it looked like porridge) but it packed a flavour punch. Cauliflower is going through a renaissance at the moment & Justin demonstrated how far it’s come from the Sunday lunch staple of cauliflower cheese – there was no subtlety here. The ‘rice’ was made from cauliflower, blended with a cauliflower puree & stock. The benefit of TOFS was that we could ask Justin what the tangy taste was – parmesan. The cheese course was delicious: brie with truffle sandwiched in the middle (I love cheese & anything funghi) but the dessert was the piece de resistance. The chocolate mousse was delectable: smooth & not too rich which seemed perfectly pitched after four courses. I wasn’t a fan of the accompanying yoghurt or chocolate drops but the caramelized pineapple made up for that. Justin’s amazing chocolate pud We had a great time on both nights, chatting to the chefs, happy to answer our questions; enjoying the bonhomie of the table; quaffing delicious English wine from Hush Heath and eating un-ordinary, exciting food. Going to The Old Fire Station twice in a week really isn’t a hardship. The next event is Cin Cin on 4 June; Chef Ben Spalding will be in residency 24 & 25 June. https://www.facebook.com/Old-Fire-Station-531356273682618/events Experience Ingredients In the groups: both nights 2 ad Empty Bowls consumption & cost: Pre booked tickets were £20 pp, wine & TOFS beer & cider £3 each Justin Brown consumption & cost: Tickets were £40 pp, Hush Heath Pinot Noir £23.50 Justin Brown’s full menu: Confit Salmon: Poached in olive oil, cucumber, horseradish cream, dill & rye Cauliflower risotto: 100% cauliflower, cauliflower stock, cauliflower puree, parmesan Steamed bun: Bao bun, crispy chicken, cabbage slaw Brie & truffle: Dutch Brie stuffed with black truffle, verzet crackers Chocolate & Yoghurt Chocolate mousse, frozen yoghurt, pomegranate molasses More pictures under Gallery