TASTING NOTES
FEELING weighed down by picnic and barbeqcue fare??Tired of rich meals that leave you feeling fat and ill? Well, as Heinz Beck, the Rome-based German super-chef has shown, it doesn’t have to be that way. Recently launched at his London outpost, Apsleys:?A Heinz Beck Restaurant at the Lanesborough hotel, is a healthy summer menu. It’s gourmet, yes, and involves at least one glass of Krug. But Beck has cut down on butter, flour and cream wherever possible, and has chosen food combinations to help insulin levels stay at reasonable levels. So, bereft of excess starch and sugar, can it be any good??The answer is yes. Krug is always good, naturally, but so is wild red sea bream carpaccio with exotic fruit vinaigrette; ricotta tortellini with fava beans; yoghurt-cured veal with carrot puree, and seasonal fruit with extra virgin olive oil. In short, the summer menu is a really excellent way to enjoy your food in the hot season and still look good for the beach. Menu offered until further notice. Seven courses £79 per person; with accompanying wines £119. The Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA. To book, call 020 7333 7254.
For those of you who aren’t feeling overfed, there’s no better way to celebrate summer outdoors than this decadent hamper from Coco- maya (right). Inside: sarnies on spelt bread, beautiful cakes, biscuits and scones. £25 per head.
wwwcocomaya.co.uk