Bedford Food: Christmas at The Embankment is a labour of love

My earliest memories of Christmas dinners have always had all the same ingredients bar maybe the meat changing – so when a friend told me they like to have more of an Italian Christmas I was intrigued to know more.

She said in Italy they don’t usually do a bird but they do have a turkey cotelette (tenderised turkey meat fried in breadcrumbs) with antipasti and other nibbles as an entree. The main course was the inspiration, a lasagna of layered meats and cheese. Veggies are optional or not allowed depending on the region you came from in Italy. Some homemade bread and olives and always a leafy salad. Her family tend to make some pigs in blankets using Italian sausage and add herby roast potatoes.

I felt this was such a nice change from the traditional way of doing things and with a large Italian population in Bedford I’m surprised we haven’t yet seen this on a menu anywhere. Hopefully soon!

We recently visited the famous Embankment pub on the river front, one of the more beautiful pubs in Bedford. I had the opportunity to sit down with sous chef Sam Bransby, who spoke to me about how the labour of love that goes into the preparation of their Christmas dinner is what makes this a stand-out plate.

Although the Christmas dinner isn’t too different to a roast, they like to put a little more consideration into every ingredient. The roast potatoes are cooked three different ways: steamed, part blanched and then roasted in herby oil before being plated.

The Pierre Koffman-inspired Koffman cabbage was a great inclusion for me, chipolata sausages, some herbs roasted veg and everyone’s favourite nestled under it all are those brussel sprouts.

Oh, how could I forget the turkey? At The Embankment you receive a generous portion of two white and one dark meat plus some stuffing to go with it all. I enjoyed hearing Sam speak about the turkey. Sourced from Aubrey Allen Butchers, its steamed for up to four hours depending on the size of the bird, then roasted on a bed of herbs and veg and regularly basted over another 90mins, then removed, covered and left to marinade in its juices.

I had the pleasure of enjoying a plate and I can honestly say my exact words were “that was probably the best pub Christmas dinner I’ve ever had”.

If you do venture down to the river and stop at the Embankment pub for some food other recommendations from Sam were the camembert starter with a herb crumb and toasted sourdough, and a personal favourite is a warm pear and almond tart with a chantilly cream which, in Sam’s words, “tastes like Christmas and the perfect way to end your meal”.

And to end this article’s on a sweet note, Bedford’s Brownie Queen @thelittlebrowniecompany recently opened the doors on her new coffee shop serving up all her incredible baked goodies, which are all still available to order through her social media – but I would really love for the community to go and support this brilliant entrepreneur and sample some of the goodies in her new surroundings with nice cup of tea or coffee.

Merry Christmas from Bedford Food.