On this day twelve years ago, we first opened the doors to Brassica Restaurant.
What a glorious summer it's been, and wonderfully busy here in West Dorset. There's a distinct autumnal feeling in the air now, though I'm sure the sun has a few more days left in it…September is a beautiful month, bountiful with produce to forage and buy from our wonderful local and organic suppliers. It's a fairly long newsletter but hopefully packed with information to keep the winter blues away.
BRASSICA RESTAURANT: COOKING THE BOOKS
'A series of Thursday evening suppers, cooked by our Chef Director, Cass Titcombe. Each meal will feature a menu inspired by one of his favourite cookbooks. In essence, each supper will be a joyous demonstration of diverse cuisines and Cass's exceptional skills as a chef. Each menu will be £52 per person for four courses'.
Thursday 24th September - Made in India by Meera Sodha
From Guardian columnist Meera Sodha - real Indian food which is fresh, simple and packed with flavour. In Made in India, Sodha introduces us to the food she grew up with everyday.
Thursday 8th October - Squeeze Me: Lemon Recipes & Art
by Ruthie Rogers & Ed Ruscha
An ode to the simple, sunny brilliance of the lemon, this is a one-of-a-kind cookbook and collaboration between Ruthie Rogers, the celebrated chef behind London’s River Café, and Ed Ruscha, one of the most influential contemporary artists and bookmakers of our time, who cultivates a lemon grove at his home in Los Angeles.
Thursday 29th October - Thai Food by David Thompson
'Thai Food' is the most comprehensive account of this cuisine ever published in English, with David Thompson sharing over 300 recipes ranging from a classic pad thai to elaborate creations like Green Curry of Trout Dumplings. Introductory chapters cover Thai food culture, ingredients and technique, rounding out this beautifully written guide.
Thursday 12th November - Honey & Co. Daily
Honey & Co Daily is about food that looks good and tastes sensational without taking all day to prepare, based on the relaxed, informal menu Itamar and Sarit serve at their Store Street café — from Eggs and Soups to Salads, Daily Nightly dinners, Cookies and Cakes, and speedy Cocktails and Desserts. From a summery Courgette & Broad Bean Shakshuka to Ginger & Chocolate Cookies.
BRASSICA RESTAURANT: JAPANESE EVENING WITH CASS TITCOMBE
Thursday 26th November
Instead of ‘Cooking the Book’s Cass will host a special evening where he will cook a number of his favourite Japanese-inspired dishes. Menu to be confirmed but it will be delicious…
BRASSICA RESTAURANT: PRIX FIXE WEEKDAY LUNCH
Now the Summer season is over, we will introduce our Prix Fixe Lunch, two courses for £28 from Tuesday 8th September. More often than not it will be a delicious pasta dish and a seasonal pudding. The menu will change daily according to availability.
BRASSICA RESTAURANT: CHRISTMAS HOURSUp until Saturday 19th December normal hours apply
Monday 21st December - Brunch & Lunch
Tuesday 22nd December - Brunch, Lunch & Supper
Wednesday 23rd December - Brunch, Lunch & Supper
Thursday 24th December - Brunch & Lunch
Christmas Day & Boxing Day - Closed
Tuesday 29th December - Brunch, Lunch & Supper
Wednesday 30th December - Brunch, Lunch & Supper
Thursday 31st December - Brunch & Lunch
New Year's Day - Closed
Saturday 2nd January - Supper
Normal hours will resume on Tuesday 5th January
BRASSICA MERCANTILE: FALLOW CANDLES & NEW BOOKS
Books: New books on art, design and cooking — online and in store in Beaminster. Highlights include the trio by Charles Dowding, pioneer of the "no dig" growing method, showing undisturbed, compost-fed soil beats traditional digging.
Candles: New, novelty candles crafted by hand in the UK. Fallow Candles is a Sussex-based studio turning the humble candle into sculptural, extraordinary pieces — part art, part object. On sale now in Beaminster and online.
BRASSICA MERCANTILE: CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS
For the last five years or so, I've secretly created, wrapped and sent off Christmas Stockings for a couple of high-profile customers — unbeknown to the women receiving them. Their husbands, understandably nervous about curating the perfect stocking themselves, handed the problem to me instead. I don't think any less of them for it — quite the opposite. I know exactly what it takes to fill a stocking that feels genuinely thoughtful, where almost everything inside is something truly loved. This Christmas, I'm opening this service up properly — for husbands, wives, partners, or anyone who'd rather leave the stocking-curating to someone who's had five years of practice getting it right and over thirty years as a retail buyer. The finer details haven't been finalised yet, but do let me know if you are interested.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE
NEW FOOD IN STORE AND ONLINE
Up until Wednesday 23rd December normal hours apply
Christmas Day & Boxing Day - Closed
Tuesday 29th December - Close at 2pm
Wednesday 30th December - Close at 2pm
Thursday 31st December - Close at 2pm
New Year's Day - Closed
Friday 1st Jan & Saturday 2nd Jan - Closed
Normal hours will resume on Tuesday 5th January
ALL HANDMADE MEAL ORDERS FOR 23rd DECEMBER COLLECTION
MUST BE PLACED BY 16th OCTOBER
Loving Cremer, the new London café by Hoxton's Museum of the Home — designed by Oscar Piccolo with Spazio Leone's Gennaro Leone, it's full of commissioned pieces from rising international designers and feels like “the home of someone with impeccable taste”.
BRASSICA RADAR: FOOD & DRINK: BURRO, LONDON
Burro is the second restaurant from Conor Gadd, chef-owner of Trullo, one of Islington's best-loved Italian neighbourhood restaurants (founded by Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda, and still one of the finest Italian kitchens in London). With Burro, Gadd moves into a much bigger space in the centre of town — and brings a bit of his Irish background along with him.
BRASSICA RADAR: STAY: LITTLE MILL, ABERGAVENNY
Set beside the River Gavenny, the 17th-century Little Mill Abergavenny pairs Welsh Mountain views and wild swimming spots on the doorstep with a charming vintage interior rustic walls, a folky colour palette, and antique furniture. This family-run holiday let offers the historic 3-bedroom Felin and the luxurious 1-bedroom Maen Melin Cottage, available separately or combined. Together, they open into one large rental space
sleeping up to 11 guests.
Hadspen Valley is a modern, Somerset cider orchard with design-led huts, nestled in a secret valley between Bruton and Castle Cary. More a ‘wild hotel’ than glamping.
War plunges you into London's cutthroat legal world, as rival firms Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne go head to head over a scandal-soaked case. At its heart is a dirty-tricks divorce between Morgan (West) and Carla (Miller), pulling ambitious young lawyer Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux) into the fray. Expect a ruthless world where ambition is currency, betrayal is strategy, and winning is everything.
Starring Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine drops us shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, as CIA agents Chris and Lee are sent from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, MJ. Amid the island's iconic statues, the longtime partners wrestle with dark pasts and present conspiracies — while Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students threatens to send the whole trip sideways.
BRASSICA RADAR: FILM & TV: ROALD DAHL
Netflix is developing a six-part drama based on Roald Dahl's short stories for adults, written by Danny Brocklehurst of Fool Me Once fame, with a cast that includes Nicola Coughlan, Imelda Staunton, and Dominic West. It's the latest project drawing on Dahl's work since Netflix bought the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021, following the earlier greenlight of Willy Wonka-inspired competition show The Golden Ticket.
Early next year.
BRASSICA RADAR: DESIGN & CUTLTURE
Later in the month, on 25th September there is a fantastic event which can also be Livestream (for those of us outside of the city) where costume designer Grace Snell holds a special conversation exploring the creation of the costumes for the new big-screen adaptation of beloved Jane Austen novel Sense and Sensibility. The talk will give an unprecedented insight into Grace’s creative process bringing Austen’s world to life through costume and the role of costume in conveying identity, emotion and social status on screen, as well as touching on Grace’s career journey along the way.
BRASSICA RADAR: RETAIL: LONDON ÉPICERIE
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