Match of the week

Yorkshire curd tart with builders’ tea ice-cream and Shire Highland Black Tea from Malawi

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on March 13 2017 at 11:56

There are some dishes you just know you’re going to order when you spot them on a menu and the builders’ tea ice-cream that came with a Yorkshire curd tart at newly opened Lorne in London's Pimlico last week had my name all over it.

It was ironic because the USP of the restaurant is the fact that it’s run by ex River Café sommelier Katie Exton so it should have been the wine that stole the limelight.

Actually the main course dish of guineafowl and black pudding very nearly made my top spot with a really fabulous 2014 Moric Blaufränkisch but that was only to be expected.

The idea of pairing of a Yorkshire curd tart with one of the teas on the drinks list - a hand rolled Shire Highland black tea from the Satemwa estate in Malawi - sounded too intriguing to resist and proved absolutely spot on.

The builders tea ice-cream wasn’t as strong as it sounded - more like a caramel ice-cream and went really well with classic English flavours of the tart. Both offset the fragrance of the tea (which I drank without milk) beautifully.

Henrietta Lovell of the Rare Tea Co who supplies the tea (which you can buy from her website for £10 a 40g tin) describes it as ‘remarkably sweet’ and 'tasting of milk chocolate, maple syrup and peaches.' Can’t say I picked up all those flavours but it was deliciously fruity and I just love the idea of drinking tea with dessert. (And buttered crumpets - also a great match according to Henrietta!)

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