Michelin-starred chef Tom Brown is putting Cornish cider in the spotlight, creating a limited-edition offering to mark the launch of Cornish Orchard’s Naturally Sparkling Cider, Avalen at his Hackney restaurant, Cornerstone.
The chef, who hails from Cornwall and trained under Nathan Outlaw, has partnered with the award-winning premium cider company to celebrate the launch of Avalen and showcase the wider Cornish Orchards range through unique dishes and a limited-edition drinks menu available from today.
Avalen, meaning ‘apple tree’ in Cornish, is made from 100% freshly pressed apples handpicked from Cornish Orchards’ oldest orchard, Keepscombe. The bottle has been fermented and processed in the same way as Champagne at Cornish winery Camel Valley and matured for over a year to develop its premium flavour and aroma.
From today until the 12th of May, Avalen will be on offer on Cornerstone’s sparkling wine menu and available with the drinks pairing menu, with Chef Tom Brown hand picking the pairings.
Avalen is suggested to pair with starters including Cornerstone’s three-week aged Chalk Stream Trout Pastrami and the Pickled Oyster. A twist on the traditional champagne and oyster pairing, Avalen cuts through the Chipotle Trout XO and Lime on the oyster to lift and delight the palate.
Cornerstone’s beloved Hake Kyiv, which has a smoked butter and octopus bacon filling is perfectly paired with Avalen with the naturally sparkling cider complimenting its decadent flavours.
Cornish Orchards’ Golden cider will also be getting its moment on the menu, reimagined in Cornerstone’s heritage mackerel dish, infused into a jelly pate to add tart tasting notes that contrast with the smoked fish.
To kick off or round out the dining experience, Cornerstone has created a limited-edition Cornish Orchards Spritz to refresh the seasonal classic. Made using a fig leaf liqueur and replacing prosecco with Avalen, the cocktail is an immensely refreshing drink that tastes like summer.
Speaking on the partnership, Tom Brown comments: “Coming from Cornwall, I’ve been lucky to experience the wide array of produce my home county has to offer. It’s the birthplace of some amazing products and creators, and I’m excited for this partnership with Cornish Orchards to showcase a true taste of Cornwall. Not only that, the taste of Avalen is so unique and I’m looking forward to showing how we’ve incorporated that into the Cornerstone offering.”
Avalen is available at Tom Brown’s Cornerstone from April 12th until May 12th. For bookings, head to cornerstonehackney.com/bookings.