Latest news with #AnnabelBower
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Annabel Bower celebrates the King's Birthday Long Weekend with delicious recipes inspired by royalty
Annabel Bower is an Australian chef and food stylist that lives in Adelaide. She trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School which is a famous cooking school in Ireland. Today, she is going to showcase three delicious royal desserts: Classic Eton Mess Treacle tart (made from breadcrumbs and golden syrup – it was a family favourite for the Mancroft family) Buttermilk chocolate cake Recipe below: Classic Eton Mess by Annabel Bower @foodbyannabel Said to have originated at the famously proper Eton College and traditionally served at their annual cricket match against Harrow, this glorious jumble of berries, cream and crumbled meringue is as posh as it is imperfect—like many a British institution, really. And let's be honest, it's the perfect dessert for an Aussie gathering too—if your pavlova takes a tumble, don't panic. Just call it Eton Mess and carry on like royalty. Ingredients For the meringues 3 egg whites 1 cup castor sugar Raspberry Coulis 300gm frozen raspberries, defrosted. 1 tablespoon icing sugar 1 tablespoon Cointreau To assemble 500gm fresh strawberries, sliced thinly 200gms fresh raspberries - or any other fruit in season i.e. pomegranate, cherries. 200ml thickened cream 1tsp pure vanilla bean paste 1Tbs castor sugar 150gm Sour cream/ crème fraiche or mascarpone Equipment Stand or hand-held beater/mixer 2 flat baking trays lined with baking paper Metal ice-cream scoop Glass trifle bowl Method Preheat oven to 120 degrees (not fan forced, use the bake or top/bottom heat setting). Line 2 flat trays with baking paper. Using a stand mixer or hand-held electric beater, whisk egg whites until they become thick and opaque. When they start to form stiff peaks whisk in castor sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue until all the sugar has dissolved. Whisk for a further 30 seconds on high until thick and creamy. Using an old-fashioned ice-cream scoop, place golf ball – or tennis ball size dollops of meringue mixture onto the lined baking trays, evenly spaced. For individual desserts make smaller meringues, for a shared dessert make the bigger ones. Bake for 1 hour at 120 degrees, shutting the oven door carefully so as not to knock any air out of the meringues. After an hour, do not open the oven door, just turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool in the oven over night or for the rest of the day. When cool remove from oven and gently transfer to an airtight container until day of serving. The meringues can be made 1-2 weeks ahead if stored in a cool dark spot. Just before serving whip the thickened cream until soft peaks form, stir in sugar and vanilla. Mix through sour cream/crème fraiche or mascarpone until smooth. Push the defrosted raspberries through a fine sieve to remove the seeds, stir through icing sugar and Cointreau to create a coulis. Slice the strawberries – you can add an extra dash of Cointreau to these if you like. To serve, layer a trifle dish or individual glass cups of bowls with all the elements, crushing the meringue as you go. Swirl to mix and eat as soon as possible. Annabel's Favorite Chocolate Cake by Annabel Bower @foodbyannabel This is my never-fail, always-devoured, 'can I lick the bowl?' chocolate cake. It made its first appearance in an English country house kitchen, baked for the three mischievous little ones I nannied, and has since become the star of every birthday bash for my own four children back home in Australia. Rich, fudgy, and impossibly moreish, it walks the line between classic English high-tea and Aussie backyard BBQ. It's the kind of cake that disappears before the candles have cooled—and honestly, it's so good you might find yourself baking it for no reason at all... and that's entirely encouraged. Ingredients 125gms butter, softened 1 cup castor sugar 2 eggs 1 Tbs vanilla bean paste 2/3 cup cocoa, sifted 1 cup milk + 2tsp balsamic vinegar* OR 1 cup + 2tsp buttermilk 1 ½ cups self-raising flour, sifted ½ cup hot water or hot coffee *The milk will curdle when you add the vinegar – this is supposed to happen! Icing 200gms Milk or dark chocolate (or a mix of both) 75gms butter To decorate – fresh berries and flowers or chocolates and sprinkles. This recipe is perfect for doubling – just make sure you've got a big enough bowl! Equipment 1 x 24cm springform cake tin, greased and base lined with baking paper Stand or hand-held beater/mixer. Method Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Add the vinegar to the milk and set aside. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time making sure the first is fully incorporated before adding the second. Next add the vanilla and sift in the cocoa powder. Incorporate on a low speed. Add the milk, flour and water (or coffee) and beat on a low speed until smooth and velvety. Pour into you greased and lined cake tin and bake for 45-60 minutes. You will know the cake is cooked when the centre is no longer wobbly and you can pierce the centre of the cake with a skewer and it comes out clean. If the top of the cake begins to brown before the centre is cooked, loosely cover it with foil to prevent it from burning. Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool before icing. The cake can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer. Icing To make the icing simply melt together the butter and the chocolate. Either in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between each one or on the stove top on a very low heat stirring constantly. When melted it will become smooth and glossy, keep stirring once you remove it from the heat allowing it to cool slightly. Then pour over the cake starting in the centre, allowing the chocolate to drip down the sides. Decorate with fresh berries, or chocolates. Treakle Tart by Annabel Bower @foodbyannabel I'd never made a Treacle Tart until I found myself cooking in a grand Gloucestershire kitchen for The Lord and Lady Mancroft. Gooey, golden and outrageously sweet, it quickly became a Sunday staple—especially requested by Lord Mancroft himself, usually after a morning of polo, fox hunting, or some other thoroughly British pursuit. Known affectionately as a 'nursery pudding,' this tart is the kind of comfort food that makes you feel like you've earned a second slice… even if the only galloping you've done is to the table. Ingredients Pastry Shell 300gms sweet shortcrust pastry. Homemade or high-quality store bought. Filling 400gms golden syrup 1 lemon, zest grated 2 eggs, beaten 100gms fresh white breadcrumbs – made from fresh white bread with crusts cut off in a food processor. 1 tsp flaked sea salt or Maldon salt (optional) To serve Ice cream or clotted cream Equipment 22cm Tart baking tin with removable base, 1 baking tray for the tart tin to sit on. Food processor for breadcrumbs Baking beans – ceramic beads used to weigh down pastry during 'blind baking' which means baking a tart shell without its filling. Method Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Roll the chilled pastry out to a thickness of 0.5-0.75cm. Gently transfer into tart tin, pressing into the base and sides to form a tart shell. Chill again if it has become warm. Cover with baking paper which generously overhangs the edges of the pastry and tart tin. Fill with 'baking beans' or dried pulses or rice. Place tart tin on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes then carefully remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Leave in oven and lower the temperature to 160 degrees Celsius. Mix together the filling whist the tart shell is being prebaked. Combine the golden syrup, lemon zest, eggs and breadcrumbs and whisk until there are no lumps. Carefully pull the baking tray with the tart tin out of the oven and pour in the filling. Gently shake to evenly distribute but be careful not to spill any down the sides of the pastry shell. Sprinkle with flaked salt if using. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until just set. Cool for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with clotted cream, crème fraiche or ice cream – vanilla or chocolate!
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
The aristocrat diet: why do posh people eat such beige, bland, boring food?
Name: The Aristocrat Diet. Age: As old as the aristocracy. Appearance: Bland, rich, characterised by an absence of turnips. Why no turnips? Because they're only fit for cattle. And no deep-fried food either. On health grounds? No, it's just too lower class. But ice-cream is OK as long as it's homemade, set in a mould and sliced. Who says? Posh people, according to Australian food stylist Annabel Bower, who once worked as a chef for a baron and his family. When did she work for them? In the late 19th century? It was, admittedly, more than 20 years ago. But their habits and routines do sound a bit Victorian. Any other dietary restrictions? According to Bower, minced or diced meat was never served. 'Because they're lesser cuts of meat,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'They could only be given to children or used for staff meals.' They sound quite insecure, these aristocrats. Do they think you can catch lower-classness from eating the wrong foods? They do seem particularly worried. You'd think the money would provide some kind of peace of mind. So what do the poshos eat? They apparently like to keep things simple: pork sausages and mashed potatoes with gravy, chicken and leek pie, jam roly-poly pudding, sponge cake, chicken sandwiches with mayonnaise. Are they allowed any food with colour? Yes, as long as that colour lies on the spectrum between white and beige. And spices? Not really. Bowers says garlic and parsley were about as 'crazy' as she was allowed to get. Is the aristocrat diet good for you? Yes and no. On the one hand, it's high in fresh vegetables such as carrots (only whole though, never diced) and low in processed foods, ready meals and takeaways. And on the other hand? Aside from the carrots, it's mostly meat and cake. Can you think of any examples of posh people deviating from this strict dietary regime? History tells us that Jacob Rees-Mogg once ate a deep-fried Mars bar. Did he like it? He said it was 'absolutely delicious'. It's a slippery slope. But is Rees-Mogg actually an aristocrat? He would really like you to think so. So if I was thinking about adopting the aristocrat diet, how would I start? Step one: acquire a title and start hoarding wealth. Do say: 'Let's have beef fillet again, what what.' Don't say: 'Would you mind terribly if I ate with the staff tonight?'
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The 'lower class' foods banned by the royals: Aristocratic chef spills the meat and vegetables suitable to cook with - and those reserved for 'cattle feed'
When it comes to meals fit for royalty and aristocracy, Aussie chef Annabel Bower knows first-hand what's on the menu at upper class dinner parties – and what food is 'considered lower class'. The South Australian chef and food stylist spoke to FEMAIL about her former life working for English aristocrat Lord Benjamin Mancroft, 3rd Baron Mancroft and his wife Lady Emma Mancroft - including the foods you would never dare serve to visiting royals and celebrity guests. Annabel, 44, also spilled on the classic 'picnic foods' beloved by then young Princes' William and Harry when they joined the Mancrofts at local events, like hunting or the polo. After graduating from Ireland's prestigious Ballymaloe Cookery School, a chance connection landed the then 21-year-old Anabel a position in the Mancroft household. The job saw Annabel based in Gloucestershire, England on a country property within the Duke of Beautfort's estate - a stone's throw from now monarch King Charles ' Gloucestershire country property, Highgrove. There, she was employed for almost a year as a cook and nanny to the aristocratic family, including Lord and Lady Mancroft's three young children, the Honourable Arthur, Georgia and Maximilian. 'I was only 21 and found it quite stressful to have all these really rich, aristocratic and sometimes famous people eating my food,' Annabel told FEMAIL. 'It was very much a glimpse into the upstairs, downstairs world of aristocratic life, which we don't really have in Australia.' The position required Annabel to master the food and dining etiquette rules expected of an upper-class English household – and she quickly discovered that some surprising foods were 'considered lower class' and firmly off the table. 'You would never serve anything deep fried at a dinner party,' Annabel revealed, adding that it had nothing to do with fried foods like chips being unhealthy. 'It was fine to serve something like mashed potato that was absolutely full of butter, but deep-fried foods were considered quite lower class.' The chef explained this was because lower class households typically had 'deep fryers running in their kitchen all the time' to cook up things like nuggets and fish fingers. Fried food fare from the 'chipper', referring to a takeaway fish and chip takeaway shop, was similarly considered lower class. The mother-of-four also explained that there were only a few select cuts of meat that you'd serve to upper class diners. 'Rib eye, beef fillet or a big piece of scotch are acceptable,' she said. 'You'd never serve minced or diced meat, because they're lesser cuts of meat. They could only be given to children or used for staff meals.' Annabel Bower, the former chef to British aristocrats Lord and Lady Mancroft explained that certain foods are unacceptable to serve at upper class dinner parties. For instance, chopped carrots or swede turnips (left) are not acceptable, but dutch carrots (centre) are fine. All fried foods (right) are 'considered lower class' Annabel even noted that there were 'different tiers of vegetable' that were acceptable to serve to guests. 'Swede turnips, for example, are used to feed animals,' Annabel said. 'But one time, I unknowingly made a Swede turnip mash with caramelised onion. [A family member] came and told me, "You can't serve that. That's cattle feed". Annabel added that a diced carrot also falls into the no-go category - but, interestingly a whole baby carrot, like a Dutch carrot was acceptable. Furthermore, anything that resembled takeaway food, fast food, or was mass produced was 'completely banned'. The same rule applied to desserts, meaning it would be 'a faux pas to serve a premade dessert – like a store-bought cake'. So, what is on the menu? Some of the Mancroft household favourites – which were always 'made from scratch' – included pork and apple sausages served with mashed potato and gravy, chicken and leek pie and salmon cakes. Simplicity was also a huge part of the upper class menu ethos, with Annabel explaining that 'garlic and parsley' were as 'crazy' as you could get with herbs and spices. As for sweet treats, Annabel said jam roly-poly pudding and treacle tart were a favourite and that most of her weekends would be spent whipping up a 'sponge cake with fresh cream and fresh berries'. But there was one popular upper class dinner party dessert staple that surprised the Aussie cook: ice cream. 'Most of the time they wanted me to make homemade ice cream from scratch, set in a mould. It was a log shape that you'd cut into slices and serve with fresh cream. They always called it an "ice",' she said. 'Lady Mancroft explained to me that many years ago having a freezer was considered really special, so to be able to make and serve ice cream in your own home was considered quite elaborate.' Annabel's duties also extended to packing abundant picnics for when the Mancrofts joined royalty and other aristocrats at prestigious events like the Duke of Beaufort's hunt and the Gloucestershire Festival of Polo, held annually at the Beaufort Polo Club. Annabel explained that the picnic fare was designed to be 'shared with whoever was there' - which included regular attendees, Prince William and Prince Harry. When it comes to picnic food that's fit for royalty – the Aussie chef says all the favourites were 'quite simple'. 'They love a ham and cheese sandwich or a classic chicken sandwich. Of course, you would use beautiful fresh white bread and top it with poached chicken, mayonnaise, lemon and herbs.' Sweets like 'jam drop biscuits' were also a popular picnic treat enjoyed by royals and aristocrats. In more formal dining circumstances, Annabel shared there were loads of etiquette guidelines around how food should be served. 'At dinner parties, the seating placements are very deliberate,' Annabel explained. 'The most important male had to sit next to the hostess and the most important female sits next to the host. 'Then, food must be served in a certain order around the table, always starting with the hostess. The meals were also served using delicate cutlery and crockery sets 'that could only be hand washed'. 'It was a terrifying task to hand wash a hundred year old china set with gold edging and delicate crystals,' the chef recalled. Annabel also found it fascinating to discover that 'napkin rings' were a no-go. 'I thought a silver napkin ring would be super posh, but true aristocrats don't use them because their napkins are laundered after ever use, whereas a napkin ring suggests they weren't washed,' she said. The dinner party also has a structured format – it typically commences after 8.30pm (long after children had been separately fed and put to bed!) and the food is served promptly and quickly. 'Once dinner is finished, the hosts and guests move to a sitting room, and staff disappear,' she said. Despite having the opportunity to live amongst the crème of upper English society, Annabel revealed she soon felt homesick and lonely in the rural community, eventually returning to her hometown of Adelaide. Nowadays, she works closely with South Australia powerhouse food brands and icons, like Maggie Beer, pasta brand San Remo as well as local seafood producers Ferguson Australia lobster and Yumbah oysters and abalone. Although her days of serving meals to royalty are long behind her, Annabel reflects that the experience gave her confidence in any high-pressure cooking situation. 'Since being back in Australia, I've cooked for high court judges, Prime Ministers and at all kinds of high stakes events' she said. 'I never felt intimidated cooking for those people, because I'd already cooked for so many different VIPs in England.'
