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Although January has been and gone, there’s still for time for me to wish you a very, very belated Happy New Year! I know it’s taken me a long time to get back on the blogging but in honesty, December was so manic that it took me all January to get over it!

Looking back, as many of you know, 2011 was a big year for us and to mark it we put together a book chronicling notable events, recipes and even some of these ramblings of mine. For a bit of visual relief, we beefed it up with some of the superb photos that had been taken throughout the year by Tim Martin of Eternal Photography and David Griffen, the photographer for Great British Chefs. Et voila… The Pony & Trap 2011 became our first ever book. We printed it ourselves through an online printing company called Blurb books and when our first ever print run arrived in the post, it was a pretty cool feeling!

Although we only printed a small number (collectors’ items anyone?!!) it was a nice way to record what was a really important year at The Pony & Trap and it’ll be nice to look back on one day.

But for now, the New Year means new challenges and a new opportunity to kick on again. Last year our relative successes afforded us the opportunity to make an effort to refine the things that I consider to be the “mealmakers”. Pastries, breads, sauces – the little parts that often go unnoticed, but when they’re done well, can edge the gap between mediocrity and real quality.

Fortunately, we’ve been able to employ new personnel - Kat, on pastries and bread, and Tyler, our apprentice chef on desserts and petit fours. Giving them dedicated roles has allowed Alex, Matt and I the time to improve things elsewhere in the kitchen.

Consequently, over the last few months I have felt we have really developed a personality with our food. While I have always valued local, seasonal produce, now I feel that a distinct Pony & Trap style is shining through in our menu. I’ve heard some people call it “progressive British” (that’s you Jonray!) but I’m not really sure how to label it. For me I’ve noticed that our signature dishes have evolved into creations that are distinctly British but have twists - slightly different combinations of British classics.

This has been a very natural progression and I’m really happy that we’ve carved out this style. There is some good stuff going out at the moment including Venison Faggots, Lightly Salted Hake with chicken and mushroom pie sauce, Roasted Bone Marrow with Brown Shrimp; Spider Crab soup with White Crab meat, Pork wrapped in Pancetta and of course our reinvention of “The Full English”. As I say, quintessentially British but with a little bit of an accent – think James Bond with foreign dubbing!

To showcase these new dishes we have also started refining our tasting menu and I am actively encouraging as many people who want to try it to call up and give it a go on their next visit. It’s constantly evolving and we are delighted when people ask for it as it really highlights some great parts of British cuisine. Perhaps 2012 will be the year of the tasting menu?!! Watch this space…

Cheers!

Josh