Whole Spit-Roasted Lamb at the Red Lion and Sun, Highgate

“It is not the quantity of the meat, but the cheerfulness of the guests, which makes the feast”

Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon 1609–1674

That's fair enough, Ed, old bean, but let's be honest, the meat also plays a part. Picture the scene: Jay-Z is round your gaff for a party, smiling like the Grinch on a ruined-Christmas morning cos he's showing off his new yo-yo, but you've only got enough meat for a Jay-Z-less shin-dig. No matter how cheerful he is, your feast is now more uncomfortable than a seal at Crufts. That won't happen at The Red Lion and Sun, though (I got there in the end...). As well as being a generally ruddy good pub - the drinks are good, the staff friendly and the food well thought out and executed - they've also got a couple of tricks up their sleeves. Owner Heath Ball is no fool, and has realised the potential of having two beer gardens; a larger one out the front, and a more private, cosier space out the back of the pub. As well as inviting Yianni's Meatwagon and Petra's Choc Star van over to pitch up in the front garden, Heath also allows patrons to hold parties in the back garden. For £350, you'll get a whole roasted lamb, a ridiculous amount of sides and more sauce than the top shelf of a newsagent. The ideal number is 20, which then works out at £17.50 per person, though you can have a smaller party if you desire (prepare for leftovers).

As to how myself and 19 others found ourselves tucking into a whole lamb? Well, let me take you back to a month ago. Heath tweeted this, which instantly grabbed my attention. HOW MUCH? HOW DO I DO IT? GEE, THAT'S FOR SURE A WEIRD LOOKING CHICKEN, MISTER. 

RELAX!

Price. Get twenty people. Choose a date. I knew what I had to do: I gathered twenty hungry meat fans and booked in for the evening of 4th July - America's birthday, my lamb day.

(Photo by Fiona Wong)

By the time we arrived the lamb had already been on the (motorised, electric) spit for a couple of hours, and was looking fantastic. Smelling it, too.

(Photo by Ken Chu)

The finished article. There were some grumbles questioning the size of our little friend, but it proved us wrong, the little soldier. The skin looked, on first glance, a little bit too cooked. Foolish human - the skin was delightfully crispy, whilst the fat hiding beneath had been rendered down and helped to baste the flesh as it turned.

We decided to set it up so we would eat buffet style:

Our fantastic host Paulo (pictured in the top picture, with the lamb) cut off huge chunks of lamb before handing them over to the chef, who further dissected the meat. It was visibly tender, with minimal knife motions needed to separate the flesh, before putting it into the tray.

Potato salad. A very nice potato salad, a worthy side to the magnificent lamb. The new potatoes were cooked until still crispy to the bite, while the mayonnaise and diced red onions provided the sharp and creamy flavours.

Greek salad.

SO MUCH coleslaw. Far too much. Very nice though, a real oniony kick which I enjoy.

Skin-on chips. Big fan of fries with their skin on; I dig the earthy flavour. Good, crisp fries.

(Photo by Ken Chu)

Any place that gives you a ladle with your gravy is fine by me. It had a nicely alcoholic tang to it from the red wine.

Sam's plate. Needs more meat, which was unbelievable...have I said how good it was already? Well honestly, the lamb was as tender as you'd expected after being cooked low and slow, though some bits were better than others. Rather predictably, the shoulder fared best, whilst the more expensive cuts (lamb loin/saddle) had unfortunately become a touch dry and flaky, though they were still delicious. The skin turned out crisp, caramelised and delicious, with not a lot added save for salt and pepper - the mint sauce (a little too vinegary) worked as the accompanying flavour, if required.

There was a surprising amount of meat on the animal. Enough for some (I shan't name names) to have four plates of lamb! I went for a reasonable three. Thank you, Red Lion and Sun, I'm already planning the next one...

Price: £350

Party size: 20

What's included: Lamb, mint sauce, gravy, sides, bread/butter

Where: The Red Lion and Sun, Highgate

Phone number: 020 8340 1780

Zucca, Bermondsey

If you've ever read my blog before, or spoken to me about food at all, you'll know I'm a massive fan of The Maltings Cafe (visited here and here). In fact, I'd go so far as to call it London's best kept secret; a true gem for anyone who discovers it, with great food at unbelievably reasonable prices. There's one problem with Maltings, though, and that is the opening hours which are limited to say the least. Catering for a lunchtime crowd that work in the surrounding complex, there's not really a market for an evening, dinner shift in the immediate locale. That's where Zucca (Italian for pumpkin) comes in. Run by former River Café employee Sam Harris, Zucca caters towards a more varied crowd on the busier Bermondsey Street and is open for dinner as well as lunch, including the weekend. With the affable Andrea Locci, a familiar face from Maltings, once again at the helm, would Zucca deliver? A positive write up on Good For Lunch suggested so, and I had to check it out.

Note: Sorry for the awful quality of the pictures in this post.

The interior. Similar in style to Maltings, but with larger tables (and more of them, of course). Large windows let in a lot of natural light, and the white tables and chairs allow a fresh feel to the space.

There is also stools available so you can sit at the bar and enjoy some antipasti with a glass of wine, and watch the chefs in action in the open-plan kitchen.

A pumpkin, next to a Faema espresso machine, in the shadow of bottles of fairly priced wine from the Italo-centric list.

The menu. Unlike at Maltings, there is a physical, paper menu at Zucca, which changes less often (about once a week, though some items come and go with availability of stock). The menu is also longer here, with a number of antipasti available, as well as two pasta dishes, three fish and three meat dishes. The food is somewhat more expensive than at Maltings, reflecting the more expensive ingredients used, such as halibut and swordfish instead of whiting and bream. One could also factor in there is no service charge tagged on at Zucca; there isn't even the option to add it on when paying with a card, as it is factored in to the price and the staff are paid a decent wage, in a somewhat similar fashion to Per Se in New York City.

Bread: focaccia, baguette and grissini. All of the bread here is baked on the premises, and is offered free of charge, as well as Maldon sea salt and Planeta olive oil. The focaccia is unbelievable: appropriately oily and salty, with a slight crunch to the base providing a contrast to the puffy and springy centre and top. The other breads also prove a decent vehicle for the fruity olive oil and the Maldon sea salt - a significant improvement on the salt offered at Maltings.

Clams and samphire (£4). Clams steamed in white wine, garlic and chilli, topped with fresh ground black pepper, on a bed of wilted, salty samphire. A well judged starter, the sweetness of the fresh clams stands out and works well with the flavour-packed broth.

Buffalo Mozzarella, grilled courgettes (£3.95). Delicately grilled slithers of courgette, accompanied by a generous mound of buffalo mozzarella. The silky and soft courgette offers a smoky contrast to the milky and delicate cheese, whilst the drizzle of olive oil rounds up a good dish.

Slow cooked lamb, aubergine caponata (£12.95). A liberal amount of slow-roasted leg of lamb on an exemplary caponata, the creamy aubergine complementing the sweet-tasting new season lamb, with the tomato base providing an excellent platform for the rest of the dish.

Pappardelle with meat ragu, parmesan (£8.25 for a main course serving; £6.25 for a starter portion). The home-made pappardelle has a pleasing bite, carrying the tangy beef, pork and veal ragu, before another dimension of richness in the form of the grated parmesan is introduced. The sauce is minimal, instead allowing the shredded and tender chunks of meat carry a more intense flavour.

Not pictured: Chocolate and espresso cake (£3.25). Incredibly rich and moist chocolate cake, without an unbearable sickly sweetness, with a good depth of flavour.

The bill. About £15 each, albeit without any alcohol. Incredibly reasonable, especially when you factor in there is no charge for service, the bread is free and replenished without question, and a carafe of tap water is placed on the table immediately. 

As you may be able to tell, I'm a fan of Zucca already. The service is charming and warm, whilst the quality of the food easily exceeds the expectations one could place on it from the prices. Some people have said I'm too nice about restaurants on this blog, but when you're eating at places like Zucca, and seeing the hard work of the team involved is paying off, you can't help but be positive.