Win Free Divine Fairtrade Chocolate

Would you like a free bar of Divine Fairtrade Chocolate?

Please empty your nearest kitchen of all the crockery, glasses and cutlery that belong in the hall. Return them during lunch today, or next week and recieve a free chocolate bar*

 *minimum number of returned items apply

"Lead the way, apply to be a PA"

Applications now open for Easter and Summer Programme Assistant (formerly TA) positions with the International Programmes Department at

www.pem.cam.ac.uk/ip/pajobs/

Last Night's Formal Hall Wednesday 25th November

Amuse Bouche

Parmesan Cornet with Pea Sorbet

Salmon Tartare Tian

With micro herbs and lemon dressing

V-roasted field mushrooms with poached egg, spinach, and Hollandaise sauce

Five Spiced Rubbed Filet of Pork Sous Vide

With carrot and butternut squash puree, egg fried rice and blood orange gastrique

V- Egg Fried Rice with Asian Vegetable Pancakes

Caramelised Apple Tarte Tatin

With Vanilla Ice Cream

We hope you enjoyed your meal!

Camfed Charity Christmas Formal

At Saturday's Christmas Formal we will be collecting donations for Camfed, this years JPC charity.
Camfed aims to eradicate poverty in Africa through the education of girls and empowerment of young women.

Camfed sponsors girls through primary and secondary education and offers young women training in business and peer health education.
Educating girls means they can support themselves, their families, and their communities – but it’s not just about getting a job:

Educated women are less likely to contract HIV/AIDS, or to die in childbirth.
The children of women who have received 5 years of primary education are 40% less likely to die before age 5.
There will be an opportunity at the end of term to make a donation to Camfed on your college bill.
Donation forms will be given out in pigeonholes towards the end of term. Please give generously: if every member of Pembroke gives just £5, this will pay for 5 years’ primary education for 48 girls.

More information is available from:

http://us.camfed.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home_index

Please give generously on Saturday!

A message from the Dean

Carol singing round the piano

"Sounds of the season with members of Pembroke's Lovely Choir"

28 November at 21:00

The Old Library, Pembroke College.

All are welcome to come on after Christmas Formal Hall

Formal Hall November 30th to December 3rd

Feast Night Formal Hall

Monday 30th November

Amuse Bouche

Duck Confit and Orange

-0-

Honey Glazed Hot Smoked Salmon

Flaked salmon salad with cashew nuts, rocket, orange segments, and sweet pepper

Grain mustard and honey dressing

(V) Grilled Honey, coriander and Soy Glazed Tofu

Salad with cashew nuts, rocket, orange segments and sweet pepper

Grain mustard and honey dressing

-0-

Baked Sustainable Tilapia with tomato and chorizo

French beans, peas and roasted sweet potato

(V) Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry with Cauliflower and red chilli fritters

-0-

Toffee Apple and Calvados Pancakes

Finished with vanilla pod ice cream

Feast Night Formal Hall

Tuesday 1st December

Spiced Carrot and Sweet corn Soup

-0-

Petit Salad of apple, walnut, gorgonzola, and crisp Parma Ham

Drizzled with honey and olive oil

-0-

Tender Belly of Pork sous vide with a garlic and rosemary marinate

Braised in cider and balsamic

Homemade apple sauce, sautéed potatoes and tender broccoli

(V) Butternut Squash

Filled with spiced lentils and feta cheese

Garnished with mint, pomegranate and pine nuts

-0-

Almond and Orange Cake

With crème fraiche

Feast Night Formal Hall

Wednesday 2nd December

Porcini and Spinach Risotto

Garnished with aged Parmesan cheese

-0-

Lemon Sorbet

-0-

Poached Supreme of Salmon

Cannellini bean cassoulet with green olives, coriander, lemon, tomatoes, and garlic

(V) Red pepper, courgette, basil, and mozzarella Filo Medallion

Cannellini bean cassoulet with green olives, coriander, lemon, tomatoes, and garlic

-0-

Winter Berry Brioche

BA Christmas Formal Hall

Thursday 3rd December

Chicken Liver Parfait

With pear and sultan chutney and mixed leaf

V-roasted tomato soup

-0-

Roast Turkey Breast with Bacon wrapped Chipolata

Cranberry stuffing, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and baton carrots

(V)- Quorn and Roasted Vegetable Christmas Cracker

With vegetable nage

-0-

Traditional Christmas Pudding

With brandy sauce

-0-

Cheese and Biscuits

-0-

Mince Pies and Coffee

Some of the food from last week

Clam Chowder from last Friday's Formal Hall

Fillet of Beef from last Friday's Parlour Evening Dinner

Mille feuille of Winter Berries

Blackberry syllabub and sweet puff pastry

Formal Hall Friday 20/11

Smoked Salmon Terrine with Cucumber

Dill and lemon dressing

Formal Hall Saturday 21/11

Supreme of Pheasant Sous Vide

Filled with cranberry and sausage farce, wrapped in Parma Ham

Rosti potato, roasted carrots and parsnips, game jus

Formal Hall Saturday 21/11

Homemade Fishcakes

Formal Hall Sunday 22/11

Foie Gras with Mango Salsa

Private dinner last night

Sous Vide Loin of Venison

Private dinner last night

Pea, Herb, Wild Mushroom and Parmesan Risotto

Last Night's Formal Hall

Poached Winter Fruits in Pomegranate Sangria

With puff pastry and elderflower ice cream

Last Night's Formal Hall

Amuse Bouche

Essence of Tomato with Asparagus

Last Night's Formal Hall

Happy Eating!

Formal Hall Menus November 23rd to 29th

I'll start this post by explaining the sudden lack of content during the last seven days. Firstly, I forgot to leave the camera with the kitchen on Friday before leaving for the weekend, this didn't help. Secondly, I somehow twisted my knee early last week and instead of seeking medical attention I proceeded as if nothing was wrong. Now when you're young its easy to shrug of injury and 'get on with things', unfortunately when you're my age, (43) pain is not a sign to be ignored. By Sunday night, my knee had swelled to the size of a small watermelon and was refusing to move either forward or backwards! Monday was spent on crutches explaining my stupidity to my good-natured Doctor who proceeded to subscribe painkillers and anti-inflammatory tablets. Four days on and I feel somewhat better, (albeit with a noticeable limp) and am back at work.

Why have I wasted several minutes of your life explaining all this to you? To tell the truth, I asked Nick our Head Chef to write the Formal Hall Menus you see below. This act of sharing is very difficult for me; I take great pride and pleasure in creating Formal Menus for you all to enjoy, and asking anyone else to write them is near impossible-nothing is ever right, the courses don’t flow, the dishes are misspelled etc, etc, etc. Poor Nick was not particularly overwhelmed with joy when earlier in the week I begged off menu duty, (he’s done them before and has a very good memory!).

Therefore, to end this poor piece of writing, I wish you the best of dining and I hope you enjoy Nick’s menus as much as you have mine.

Feast Night Formal Hall
Monday 23rd November

Amuse Bouche

Essence of Plum Tomato with Asparagus

-0-

Poached Salmon with Champagne Sabayon, Dill and Petit Pois

-0-

Braised Rump of Beef sous vide

With a spinach risotto and spring onions

V-Pea, Spinach, and Herb Risotto

With a Parmesan crisp

-0-

Poached Winter Fruits in Pomegranate Sangria

With puff pastry and elderflower ice cream

Feast Night Formal Hall

Tuesday 24th November

Minestrone Soup

With a sourdough and Parmesan croute

-0-

Sous vide Chump of Lamb

With pea pure, wilted lettuce, and fondant potato and Madeira Jus

-0-

Carrot Cake

With cream cheese frosting and raisin coulis

-0-

Dessert and Petit Fours

Feast Night Formal Hall

Wednesday 25th November

Amuse Bouche

Parmesan Cornet with Pea Sorbet

-0-

Salmon Tartare Tian

With micro herbs and lemon dressing

V-roasted field mushrooms with poached egg, spinach, and Hollandaise sauce

-0-

Five Spiced Rubbed Filet of Pork Sous Vide

With carrot and butternut squash puree, egg fried rice and blood orange gastrique

V- Egg Fried Rice with Asian Vegetable Pancakes

-0-

Caramelised Apple Tarte Tatin

With Vanilla Ice Cream

Formal Hall

Thursday 26th November

Wild Mushroom and Brie Soup

-0-

Baked Salted Cod with Roasted tomatoes, Chickpeas and Anchovy Dressing

Finished with sliced new potatoes

V-Spinach and Chestnut Mushroom Filo Parcel

- 0-

Chocolate Parfait

With a passion fruit and guava coulis

Formal Hall

Friday 27th November

Citrus Marinated Prawn Salad

V-Avocado Cocktail

- 0-

Braised belly of Pork sous vide

In a rich glaze with pomme de terre puree and wilted spinach

V-baked aubergine filled with petit ratatouille finished with a Parmesan glaze and pesto

-0-

Winterberry crumble

With vanilla Crème Analgise

Christmas Formal Hall
Saturday 28th November

Chicken Liver Parfait

With pear and sultan chutney and mixed leaf

V-roasted tomato soup

-0-

Roast Turkey Breast with Bacon wrapped Chipolata

Cranberry stuffing, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and baton carrots

(V)- Quorn and Roasted Vegetable Christmas Cracker

With vegetable nage

-0-

Traditional Christmas Pudding

With brandy sauce

-0-

Mince Pies and Coffee

Formal Hall

Sunday 29th November

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

With a chive oil

- 0-

Roast Free-Range Chicken with a Sage and Onion Stuffing

Château potatoes and roasted vegetables

V- Mushroom and sun blushed tomato tart with avocado and tomato salad

-0-

Warm Apple Pie

With pouring cream

Merry Christmas!

Pembroke Chefs Competition Winner

Pembroke Chefs Competition Results

Ioana 10
Darina 4
Sasa 2
Shane 2
Victoria 2
Nick 2
Tomasz 1

The Winner!

Ioana Cozma

Thank you to everyone who voted for the best Pembroke dish from this years University Culinary Competition. Below are the comments that helped decide the winner.
18 COMMENTS:

Chris Hinde said...

Let's kick off the voting - what a stunning selection! Clearly the creativity of our chefs knows no bounds. After a good deal of consideration, my vote goes to the Selection of Lamb by Sasa Williams.

The dish presents a tempting 'chocolate box' of colours and shapes, and I particularly like the delicate display of perfectly-presented vegetables alongside.

07 NOVEMBER 2009 23:03

Anonymous said...

My vote goes to the Loin of Tuna by Ioana Cozma: the plate looks fresh, simple and uncluttered and sounds absolutely delicious!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 12:06


Liz said...

The poached pear by Shane Miller looks absolutely fabulous; modern, exciting, but most of all appetising!

Any chance of getting that (or a modified version of it) at formal? Pretty please?!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 14:44


Anonymous said...

my vote goes to the "Assiette of Seafood" by Tomasz Kowal, I'd love to try that!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 15:07


Charlotte said...

For presentation, Nick Rose's "Strawberries and Chocolate" - what a stunning design!

For flavour, the most appealing is Selection of Risotto by Ioana Cozma. Presentation is also good for this one but it's the combination of flavours that sound particularly wonderful. Can we have some risottos like these in hall please?!

09 NOVEMBER 2009 15:39


Alex said...

I'm voting for the Selection of Tea Cakes by Tomasz Kowal; it may not be as fancy as some of the other dishes, but it's down to earth and the one I'd most like to try. :)

09 NOVEMBER 2009 22:46


Anonymous said...

If we're having to vote by presentation, I reckon Assiette of Chocolate by Darina Stoyanova wins, although it's a tough call...

09 NOVEMBER 2009 23:45


Anonymous said...

Loin of tuna - looks delicious!

10 NOVEMBER 2009 09:20


Anonymous said...

I vote for Creme Brulee by Victoria Mayhew. Looks delicious and a very well presented plate.

10 NOVEMBER 2009 12:41


Anonymous said...

I vote for Loin of Venison wrapped in Parma Ham by Darina Stoyanova - it's making me absolutely starving looking at it and the presentation looks great!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 15:49


Gareth Powell said...

The loin of tuna looks fabulous - very well presented, simple, yet with a lovely flourish with the small green leaves and fennel. Reminds me of something I had at Arbetus. Well done.

11 NOVEMBER 2009 15:51


emma said...

there's a lot of brilliant stuff in there, but i keep coming back to those four risottos by ioana cozma. awesome concept; really intriguing flavours; marvelous colours; AMAZING presentation! they remind me of the sweets from a japanese tea ceremony. congratulations to all of the chefs, but this one's my choice for the winner :) .

11 NOVEMBER 2009 15:55


Anonymous said...

Ioana Cozma's Loin of Tuna...

11 NOVEMBER 2009 16:19


Anonymous said...

hmm... They all look absolutely incredible! After much deliberation, I have decided to give my vote to the Loin of Tuna by Ioana Cozma. This dish is so elegantly presented.The mixture of flavours and the overall presentation are unique

and inventive - stunning!


Well done to all the chefs their entries look amazing!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 16:21


Anonymous said...

All the dishes look fantastic! I like Ioana Cozma's Risotto dish in particular, I never saw a risotto presented so beautifully. Nick Rose's desert looks also fab. So my vote goes to those two. Compliments to all the chefs!!!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 16:43


Rachel said...

I would like to eat ioana's risotto for starter, darina's venison and winter veg for main course and victoria's creme brulee for pudding.


I like the clean presentation of all of these and the colours of the starter and maincourse. I also think the variety of the risotto and pudding, and the sous vide venison show cheffy skill I can't get at home and the use of winter vegetables is an appealing seasonal touch that will also complement the meat well.

I notice all my choices dishes cooked by the female members of the kitchen, and I'm a woman- I wonder if females prefer food made by females or if the women are just better! Throwing it out there for demial/debate!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 17:45

monicawirz said...

Well done to everyone in the team - I am so very proud of all that you always do, not only for this competition, but also on a daily basis, when the routine and pressure could easily make quality go down. Apart from the competition, you guys must know that your work is already a winner in Cambridge - everyone in my department keeps volunteering to eat here - your reputation is very much established!

Now, my vote... difficult choice, but if you absolutely need one name only, I would have to go with Darina's creations. But I would not say no to anyone's dishes. Well done!

11 NOVEMBER 2009 23:08

Anonymous said...

The selection of lamb by Sasa and the risotto by Iona are stunning. Major points for each, although I give Iona the slight edge for her culinary decadence.

Beautiful, captivating, intrinsically elegant and gastronomically intriguing, the dexterity of Williams in his arrangement and the intelligence of Cozma in her masterful use of colour fuel this competition with the mouthwatering difficulty of this choice.

-Marcos Paya

12 NOVEMBER 2009 18:58

Formal Hall Menus November 16th to 22nd

Feast Night Formal Hall

Monday 16th November

Amuse Bouche

Parsnip and Honey Soup Shot

Sweet potato crisp

-0-

Roquefort and Leek Tartlet

-0-

Pork Escallop wrapped in Parma Ham with Sage

Beef tomato baked with basil and mozzarella gremolata, gnocchi in tomato and basil sauce

(V) Mozzarella and Parmesan Calzone

Filled with puttanesca sauce and black olives

-0-

Almond Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Feast Night Formal Hall

Tuesday 17th November

Grilled Trout

With pea puree and Verbena Hollandaise

(V) Garden Pea Soup

-0-

Intermezzo

Tomato Sorbet

-0-

Braised Beef sous vide

Anna Potatoes, French beans, and sautéed shallots

(V) Roasted Vegetable Wellington

-0-

Warm Chocolate Bouchon

Kirsch cherries and clotted cream

Feast Night Formal Hall

Wednesday 18th November

Spiced Carrot and Lentil soup

-0-

Whole Grain Mustard and Honey Crusted Pork Fillet sous vide

Sage and garlic roasted potatoes, celeriac and apple remoulade

Masala Cream Sauce

(V) Potato gnocchi with saffron, artichoke, and roasted hazelnuts

-0-

Vanilla Crème Brulee

With raspberries and shortbread

-0-

Dessert and Petit Fours

Formal Hall

Thursday 19th November

Pate De Campagne

Wrapped in Bacon with toasted brioche, hazelnut and pear chutney

(V) Green Olive Pate

-0-

Salt and Vinegar sea Bream

With fennel chips in cider batter

(V) Haloumi Fish and Chips

With buttermilk Batter, puree of peas and fennel chips

-0-

Dark Chocolate Mousse tart

With a hazelnut crust and blackberries

Formal Hall

Friday 20th November

Clam Chowder

(V) Vegetable Chowder

-0-

Slow Roasted Confit of Duck

Puree de pomme de terre, roasted carrots and parsnips, blood orange jus

(V) roasted Vegetable Ravioli

Ratatouille salsa and Parmesan Cheese

-0-

Mille feuille of Winter Berries

Blackberry syllabub and sweet puff pastry

Formal Hall

Saturday 21st November

Smoked Salmon Terrine with Cucumber

Dill and lemon dressing

(V) Vegetarian Terrine

-0-

Supreme of Pheasant Sous Vide

Filled with cranberry and sausage farce, wrapped in Parma Ham

Rosti potato, roasted carrots and parsnips, game jus

(V) Chestnut, Lentil and Cranberry Loaf with Brie

-0-

Marquis de Chocolat

Pistachios and crème Anglaise

Formal Hall

Sunday 22nd November

Homemade Fishcakes

Tartare sauce

(V) Sweetcorn Fritters

-0-

Roast Breast of turkey

Cranberry sauce, gravy, chestnut stuffing, chipolata sausage

Roast potatoes and cauliflower au gratin

(V) Nut and Barley Loaf with Roasted Apples

-0-

Warm Treacle Tart

Vanilla Ice Cream

The Vegan Tapas Bar and a Journey to the Isle of Wight

Wikipedia defines veganism as:

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind. The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights, the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming.

Vegan diets (sometimes called strict or pure vegetarian diets) are a subset of vegetarian diets. Properly planned vegan diets are healthful and have been found to satisfy nutritional needs. Poorly planned vegan diets can be low in levels of calcium, iodine, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Vegans are therefore encouraged to plan their diet and take dietary supplements as appropriate. Various polls have reported vegans to be between 0.2% and 1.3% of the U.S. population, and between 0.25% and 0.4% of the UK population.

At Pembroke we have a few students that follow a vegan lifestyle but they are very much in the minority. The vast majority of Pembroke students enjoy a varied diet consisting of all the major food groups, hence the wide variety of food on offer in hall and the servery.

So why do we take up so much time, space and effort with a vegan tapas bar?

My intention in early 2008 was to re-vamp the food offering to include more healthy options i.e., more vegetables and pulses and fewer fried items. The tapas bar was designed to offer multiple healthy alternatives to the normal ‘meat and two veg’ options that most Colleges offered.
Students looking to eat a vegan or vegetarian diet could now purchase a selection of tapa's with pita bread and fruit or, if they preferred meat and fish, the tapas offered a large selection of vegetables and pulses to accompany their meal.

The dishes came about from my desire to see good portion control; previously food was simply spooned onto the plate and the portion size determined as much by the food server, as by the size of spoon they used, the item they were serving, or whether the student was male or female (this last factor was never proven but widely commented on!)

The tapas bar has had it fair share of critics; some have asked for two selections of tapas to be served in one dish (which we cannot do as it leads to cross contamination), others have stated a preference for their food being served on a plate and not in a little dish (I never understood this as it’s very easy to empty the dish onto your plate when you sit down).
But, for the vast majority of customers the tapas have been a big hit.

 To-date (13:56 on 09/11/09) we have served:

216,010 Portions!

If we placed each of the 216,010 tapas dishes end to end they would stretch all the way to the Isle of Wight (including the eight mile ferry crossing)!

That is 157 miles of healthy eating- show me a college that can beat that?

The University of Cambridge Culinary Competition

The Guild Hall was the location for Thursday's University of Cambridge Culinary Competition. Over sixty chefs from the University's Colleges entered this years event, as well as eight front of house staff who competed in a table setting contest.

The contest is mainly based around the presentation of food; the contestants cook a dish and when chilled, they garnish and glaze the food with aspic.

Most of the entries are not tasted (which I don't really agree with) and the decision on a winner is based mainly on appearance and creativity of ingredients.
To boost this years event several new categories were included; petit fours, canapes and afternoon tea cakes, as well as the table setting contest. Also included was the live cook-off event held the previous week at Cambridge Regional College (of which I wrote about previously).
Pembroke, being the college with the best food in Cambridge, entered 18 dishes, with Becky Warren competing in the table setting contest and Sasa Williams entering the live cook-off.
Nine of our eleven chefs were involved this year and each was awarded a bottle of Champagne (from me) for their efforts.

The judging has taken place and the results will be revealed at an awards ceremony at Magdalene College on November 26th. Below are our Chefs and their dishes.

Nick Rose- Head Chef

Strawberries and Chocolate by Nick Rose

Chocolate terrine, chocolate biscuit, chocolate torte with strawberry cream

Citrus Cured Salmon by Nick Rose

Fresh salmon cured with citrus zest and salt and then confited in olive oil.

Served with orange segments, pea shoot coulis and beluga caviar

Ioana Cozma- Sous Chef

Loin of Tuna by Ioana Cozma

Fresh tuna, pearl barley risotto, cannelloni of capsicum,

red pepper filled with fennel mousse and balsamic reduction

Selection of Risotto by Ioana Cozma

beetroot risotto, Parmesan and Black Truffle Risotto, Broad Bean Risotto,

Vanilla and Saffron Risotto, White and Green Asparagus Risotto

Shane Miller- Chef de Partie

Poached Pear by Shane Miller

Poached pear in red wine, cherry clafoutis and white chocolate mousse

Selection of Tea Cakes by Shane Miller

Traditional fruit cake, special fruit cake and fruit bread, scones and shortbread

Tomasz Kowal- Chef de Partie

Venison by Tomasz Kowal

Loin of Venison sous vide, blueberry mash, redcurrants and cherry tomatoes

Assiette of Seafood by Tomasz Kowal

Smoked salmon, Crab pancake, shrimp and caviar

Darina Stoyanova- Chef de Partie

Loin of Venison wrapped in Parma Ham by Darina Stoyanova

Venison cooked sous vide with winter vegetables- absolutely stunning!

Assiette of Chocolate by Darina Stoyanova

White chocolate torte, dark chocolate and pistachio torte and strawberries

Seb Little

Junior Sous Chef

Roulade of Duck by Seb Little

Breast of duck sous vide with Maxim potato, glazed cranberries and celery

Elvis 'Sasa' Williams- Chef de Partie

Selection of Lamb by Sasa Williams

Shank, loin and cutlet of Lamb

Tuna Nicoise by Sasa Williams

Loin of tuna, tomatoes, anchovies, black olives and French beans

Piotr Babiak- Trainee Chef

Lobster by Piotr Babiak

Tail and claw of lobster with orange, artichokes and petit herbs

Chocolate Mousse and Fruit by Piotr Babiak

Three layer chocolate mousse with melon and strawberries

Victoria Mayhew- Commis Chef

Creme Brulee by Victoria Mayhew

Chocolate creme brulee on a chocolate crust, Financier cake with cherries and yogurt sorbet

Becky Warren- Cafeteria Supervisor

Becky's table decorated for the University's 800th Anniversary

Our wonderful chefs were in the kitchen as early as 4am finishing off their dishes. Below are a few photos showing them walking to the Guild Hall at 7.30am; they looked confident and committed!

The chefs now face an agonising wait until the results are announced on the 26th. However, you could ease their anxiety by helping to choose the best dish from the Pembroke Chefs. Post a comment below with the name of your favourite dish and the winner, as chosen by you will receive a second bottle of Champagne and an award certificate. Voting is open until Friday 13th November.

Please vote for your favourite dish now!