Sun Pier House Food

Our vintage tearoom looks over the best river views in Medway. We sell the yummiest freshly baked cakes in town, along with a menu of gourmet food and our in house tea and coffee.   

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Mmmmmmm, drum roll please...

Here are the cakes we will be baking and serving especially for #NationalSpongeCakeDay on Tuesday 23rd August in our tearoom! 

Starting from the top left hand corner and moving down we have the;

- Vegan Death by Chocolate Cake

- Gluten free Frosted, Spiced and Beetroot Cake

- Rainbow Sponge Cake

- Red Velvet Cake

- Vegan Peanut Butter Cake

- Carrot, Cardamon and Orange Cake

- Whole Orange Spice Cake

- Gluten Free Lime and Coconut Cake

August 23 is the National Sponge Cake Day. This food holiday is devoted to one of the simplest and oldest forms of cake which as been around since the 17th century.

The airy, light delight of a sponge cake dessert holds nearly universal appeal. You might enjoy it in madeleines, ladyfingers, or layered with a variety of fillings.

A sponge cake is so named due to its firm, yet well aerated structure, that resembles a sea sponge. It is made with flour, sugar, and eggs. Some recipes include baking powder as a leavening agent. The so-called Victoria sponge contains additional fat (usually butter).

The key to making a perfect sponge cake is the technique. The batter needs to be beaten very thoroughly in order to create the necessary volume. A sponge cake is typically made in the following way.

First, eggs are beaten with sugar until light and creamy. Then flour is carefully sieved and folded in. Sometimes, eggs are separated. Yolks are beaten with sugar while whites are beaten separately to a foam and then gently folded in. It is important to incorporate air into the batter. Keep in mind that if you remove the cake from the oven too early, it will lose the air.

The sponge cake technique is used to make different desserts such as Swiss roll, Yule log, madeleines, ladyfingers, trifle, strawberry shortcake, Angel food cake etc. To celebrate the National Sponge Cake Day, try your hand at baking a sponge cake or visit us and try some of Amanda’s crazy selection. 

Celebrate National Spongecake Day here at the Sun Pier House Tearoom whilst looking over the best views in Medway, let’s hope the sun shines down over the river! All of our cakes are freshly baked and cater for Vegan and Gluten Free Diets, stay tuned on this blog for recipe releases.

See you on the 23rd! 

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#NationalSpongeCakeDay

On Tuesday 23rd August 2016 we’re going to be celebrating #NationalSpongeCakeDay in our tearoom by baking and serving a whole range of not so ordinary sponge cakes to your desire. We will be catering for Gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan diets so if you have any cake recipe suggestions then please contact us to let us know... we may consider baking them especially for you! 

Sponge cake is the perfect dessert to enjoy at the end of a warm summer day. It is light and fluffy and has just enough sweetness to cleanse the palette after a meal.

Traditional sponge cake recipes call for three very basic ingredients: sugar, eggs, and flour. The key to the perfect sponge cake is in the technique. The batter must be beaten thoroughly in order to create volume. There are many varieties of this dessert including the Victoria Sponge Cake. This version is loaded with jam that is spread between several layers of the cake. The dessert was named after Queen Victoria who enjoyed having a slice of it with her afternoon tea.

To celebrate National Sponge Cake Day, bake a homemade sponge cake to share with friends and family or visit our tearoom to try all of our wonderful creations that will be served on the day.

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Vegan Afternoon Tea Weekend

Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st August

Pre-bookings only between 12pm and 3pm

 The Menu

 A selection of Finger Sandwiches -

The Classic Cucumber Sandwich

Sweet Potato Houmous & Salad Sandwich

Roasted Red Pepper & Pesto Sandwich

‘Cheese’ & Chutney Sandwich

 Delicious Cake Bites –

Lemon Drizzle

Chocolate Brownie

Raspberry Sponge

 Homemade Scones -

Fruit and Plain scones, with cream & jam

 All served with a pot of House Coffee or House Tea per person

 ***

£15 per person with Prosecco

£12 per person without Prosecco

 Pre-bookings only with full payment in advance. To book or enquire please call 01634 812 805 or email [email protected]

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Tearoom antics at the start of July! 

- Homemade falafel burgers

- Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels

- Soup special - Vegan sweet potato and lentil

- Welsh rarebit

... You think this looks good? Plenty more to see and eat on the menu. We’re open tomorrow so come on down to the tearoom! Also remember that our Sunday opening times have now changed to 12 - 4pm.

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(Great pic by one of our happy customers - Check her blog out here)

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Father’s Day Lunch Special!

Treat your Dad to a special Ploughmans Lunch Platter with a complimentary Ale (or alternative) in our tearoom this Father’s day… Sunday 19th June 2016 Tearoom open from 10am - 4pm Pre book your table for a delicious large ploughmans sharing platter, a perfect family treat! Either vegetarian (cheese ploughmans platter), Ham, or Both… let us know when you book. There will be a complimentary Ale or alternative for the special father on the day! The sharing platters will be £6 per head. To book please call 01624 812805 or email [email protected] (Please make payment when booking your table - minimum of two people per booking.)

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As we stumble to the final day of #BritishSandwichWeek, we bring you, one of our all time favorites and a summer refresher...

                             The Classic Tuna Salad Sandwich! 

(Served on thick bakers wholemeal bread with a crunchy and fresh side salad)

Fancy seafood for ya lunch? These hearty beauties serve us well when it comes to fishy food. I feel as though you would expect it from a high end sandwich bar... and that’s what you’re getting here! It’s light, fresh and packed with flavour. The salad in the sandwich (especially the onion) just brings it all together adding the crunch and texture we all dream of. 

Our tuna salad sandwiches start with the bakers bread, we slice it up and spread it with a thin layer of butter. We then pile on our freshly mixed up tuna and mayonnaise... adding salt and pepper for the best experience on the palette. The thicker that later of tuna, the better. We finish by adding some of our freshly sliced salad, including red onion, cucumber and lettuce. Put the sandwich all together, cut it in half, serve it with another helping of side salad and et voila! 

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Now let’s not forget those vegetarians out there, introducing...

                  The Cheese and Chutney Sandwich!

(With helpings of locally supplied farmers chutney, on fresh bakers wholemeal bread with a crunchy side salad)

If you're in the mood for something different for lunch, you should try this warm and delicious, cheese and chutney sandwich. It's great for those cold afternoons. I, Frankie, am personally a huge cheese lover, so anything that includes this dairy goodness... i’ll have it. (TIP: These cheese and chutney beauties are also great when toasted in our toastie machine!). This sandwich comes with a choice of our local farmers chutney’s supplied by Kent Fine Foods.

So, down to business. When making these sandwiches we start with the slicing of the bread, for me it’s the thicker the better. We also have a choice of gluten-free bread for those with certain dietry requirements. Anyway, once the bread is sliced we butter both sides and spread our delicious chutney over both sides (we let decide which chutney out of our range you would most enjoy). We then lay on a generous helping of thickly sliced cheddar cheese and assemble the beauty that lies in our hands. If you wish so, you can ask a member of staff so kindly press your sandwich in our toastie machine to the ultimate cheesey mess we all dream of. 

These are on our menu daily. Our tearoom is open from 10am - 4pm every day except Monday’s. So be sure to try this one, and don’t forget to ask about that toastie machine we have!

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Yep that’s right, it’s still #BritishSandwichWeek and yes our Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Sandwich is still a special on our menu! But let’s not forget this scrumptious delight...

                         The Ham and Mustard Sandwich!

           (Served on fresh bakers wholemeal bread with a side salad)

As our sandwiches go, this is one of the finest. It makes the perfect snack and is also a quick and easy lunch when served with our crunchy green side salad. The bakers bread we use is chosen specifically so you can enjoy the softest and fluffiest in town. We all love our ‘traditionally British’ sandwiches, so if you want a taste of Britain then this one is a mustardy must try.

Right, so when we assemble these bad boys we start by slicing our bread to whichever thickness we think will tickle your taste buds the most. We then slap on a thin but even helping of English mustard and layer on our butchers ham (both sides). To finish it off we build the bap and serve it on a pretty plate with our crunchy and fresh side salad.

This sandwich is on our menu each day, in and out, so come and try it! The tearoom is open from 10am - 4pm every day except for Monday’s.

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We’ve spoken about the Bacon sarnie today, so let’s talk about one of our vegan fave’s on the menu...

                       The Hummus Salad Sandwich!

What are we to do when we’re working on freelance projects all weekend or creating artwork in your compact studio and there’s a big bowl of delicious hummus in the refrigerator? Hummus sandwiches, that’s what! It just seems like most vegetarian sandwiches are more bread than anything else. This healthy, hearty, fresh hummus sandwich gets one enthusiastic stamp of approval from your resident sandwich skeptic, and our fellow vegan followers.

We stat by lightly toasting our soft, thickly sliced bakers wholemeal bread. We then bread both sides generously with our favourite creamy hummus bought from sainsburys. Top with crisp cucumber, some fresh green lettuce, a delicate helping of thinly sliced red onion and some chopped fresh tomatoes. Place the second piece of bread on top. Lunch is served.

Our Hummus sandwich is Vegan friendly and available on our menu every day! Our tearoom is open from 10am - 4pm every day except Monday’s. 

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This week is #BritishSandwichWeek and one of our all time faves on the menu is... 

                                       Our Bacon Sarnie!

(Made with butchers bacon and served on fresh bakers wholemeal bread with a sweet pepper relish and side salad)

The much-loved bacon sandwich needs no hagiography from us, the holy trinity of bread, salty fatty pork and piquant sauce being the most comforting of comfort foods. Indeed, it plays an important role in British culture that it's impossible to imagine any other dish that would reliably raise the national spirits in times of trouble – devoured by hungry builders, peckish pensioners and royal wedding goers with equal enthusiasm. It's the simple pleasure which unites the country. And if you don't eat pork, I'm sorry. Trust us, if you did, you'd love bacon sandwiches just as much as the rest of us.

Our bacon sandwich is made with love and care by our chefs in the kitchen. They take our butchers bacon (delivered each day) and place it under the grill to cook until crisp. They then slice our soft and fluffy bakers bread and coat it with a light layer of butter. When the bacon is cooked we place 4 rashers neatly onto the bread and form the sarnie. Each of these beauties are served with the Sweet Pepper Relish supplied by Kent Fine Foods and a refreshing side salad. 

Now, get tasting! Our bacon sarnies are available on the menu each day. The tearoom is open from 10am - 4pm every day except Monday’s. 

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DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

This weeks special on the menu in celebration of #BritishSandwichWeek is the-

                Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Sandwich!

(Served with mayo and a size salad on fresh bakers wholemeal bread)

This sandwich upgrades the ordinary BLT to extraordinary by replacing tomatoes with shredded grilled chicken and slices of creamy avocado. At Sun Pier House we love our butchers bacon so paired with succulent chicken and avocado is a right treat.

We cook our bacon under the grill until crisp, we then transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Add the chicken to the grill and season with salt and pepper. We prep our side salads and then build the sandwiches. Layer bacon, chicken and avocado onto the sliced bakers bread and serve with a small dish of mayo.

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Seven tips for the best BLT...

                                                                          #BritishSandwichWeek

•  Let’s start with bread!  Bread should either be perfect, or perfectly horrible.  Let me explain.  The best BLTs are made on fresh bakery-baked bakery bread.

•  To toast or not to toast.  TOAST!    

You can be like me and rub your sliced bread in garlic and lard and sizzle them in a cast iron skillet until mostly browned and a little burnt on both sides.  I mean… I just said lard and meant it.

•  Tomatoes.  They’re simple and easy to find. Better that, you could grown your own... it’s quite fun actually. Having a plant in the garden and aiding it’s growth, and at the end your reward is enjoying your OWN home grown tomatoes in your tasty BLT. (We also love a good beef tomato from any old supermarket.)

•  Lettuce.  Don’t play.  There is only one suitable lettuce for a proper and perfect BLT sandwich and that is Iceberg Lettuce.  We need a light, crisp, consistent crunch from our lettuce.  Nothing less.  Nothing more.  I will accept no argument to the point. 

•  We’re going to talk about condiments because you want to get fancy, don’t you? Experiment with aiolis?  Add mustard?  This would be your greatest mistake so just stop right there.  Let me save you from yourself.  Mayonnaise.  The End.  You don’t like mayonnaise?  Yes you do.  

•  Ain’t no BLT without some bacon.  Yes we can.  Yes we will.  If we’re going to bacon we are obligated to make it the real deal.  Thick sliced, fatty, salty, perfect. We get our bacon in from the butchers and I tell ya now we don’t mess about! 

I’ve had the most success baking my bacon in a 375 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, removing the bacon from the pan, and lightly dipping my bread slices in the bacon fat before toasting.  

•  Sandwich additions.  Whoa there… whoa.  Slow your roll.  You’re messing with perfection.  Tread lightly.   Ripe, slice avocado is a suitable addition to this sandwich.  Nothing else belongs.  Just… why even bother adding extra’s?  

That’s it.  You’ve done it.  Now what?  COOK IT AND EAT IT! 

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#BritishSandwichWeek

British Sandwich Week is a week-long celebration of the greatest food to go and quite possibly the most iconic British culinary invention, the Sandwich.

The great British sandwich is such a central item in our daily lives and culture that we have more different names for it than Eskimos do for snow! From Sarnies, butties and barms to baps, baguettes and sangas, everywhere you go there’s a local term for this icon.

Ever since John Montague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich ordered cold beef between slices of toast, to avoid getting up from his cards game, his name has become synonymous with the delectable dish.

To celebrate British Sandwich Week we are getting you all to vote for your favourite and the winning flavour bap will be served throughout next week (8th-14th May 2016). The choices to vote from are...

- The BLT

- Chicken, Avocado and Bacon

- Tuna and Cheese Melt

- Mozzarella, pesto and tomato

                                              ...Which one tickles your fancy the most? 

Please click here to vote now or vote on our chalk board in the tearoom! If you have any OTHER’s then write them down and hand them to a member of staff or contact us to let us know... we could be serving your fave for the whole of next week! 

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AMANDA’S SCONES...

In our tearoom we serve cream tea’s on a daily basis. These cream tea’s include a choice of either a plain or fruit scone with a selection of local farmers jams and clotted cream, these also served with a pot of fresh tea or coffee. 

Rumor has it that our scones are the “Softest and fluffiest in town.” Amanda seems to crack the code of getting that perfect crunchy outside and heavenly softness on the inside... complimenting the jam and cream so perfectly. Not only does Amanda freshly bake all of our cakes on sale in the tearoom daily, but she works hard on whipping these scones up and serving them fresh from the oven throughout the whole day! 

We’ve asked and asked again for Amanda to release her secret scone recipe but she just wont have any of it. “The secret is never to be told.” so she says. If ever the day does go by where she feels to let us in on this so called secret, I’ll be the first to let you all know about it so we can pre-heat our ovens! 

We also serve Afternoon Tea’s in our tearoom with bookings made two days in advance. The Creme De La Creme of Chatham, at such a cheap price! People have given us heaps of feedback on our high tea’s and the one we hear most is complimenting the softness of the scones. People have even compared us to the Ritz saying that our food was better quality and they enjoyed their experience more with us! Better book your slot up before we become famous ay... 

Anyway, less talk of scones and more eating them!

Our cream tea’s are available every day in the tearoom with no need to pre book - £6.50 per person.

Our afternoon tea’s must be booked two days in advance, £12 per person or £15 per person with Prosecco.

(To book afternoon tea, contact 01634 812805 or email [email protected])

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Welsh Rarebit! Yum yum #goodfood #sphtearoom

Vine by Sun Pier House

Oh sweet Jesus would you look at that, my personal favourite... the Welsh Rarebit! A slab of fresh this day bakers wholegrain bread, melt in your mouth cheese, mustard and paprika sprinkled on top. Certainly one to fill you up and warm your bones in this cold, breezy weather! 

Stay tuned for more mouth watering tearoom updates... 

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Introducing the wonderful… Rebecca Beardon.

Today I am officially welcoming the lovely Rebecca Beardon to our team! Rebecca is our latest addition to the tearoom and already we’re so grateful to have her on board. She is a 24 year old sports therapist by trade and has previously worked with Maidstone United for a whole 2 and a half seasons as a part of their therapy team. I was intrigued by Rebecca’s past and wanted to find out more about her in this interview, here’s what I found out…

When did you start working at Sun Pier House?

“I started two weeks ago now, I joined the team as Jodie has left for her maternity leave.”

What made you want to apply for the role here?

“Nice views! I love the view from the windows here, who would have thought that a place in Chatham would look so pretty? I wanted to gain more experience in my previous role, like cooking and catering for a quirky venue with a high quality, home cooked menu. Also I wanted to grab the chance to get involved with the events here as I hear a lot about them.”

Born and Bred?

“I was born and bred in Ealing – West London.” (At this point of the convo we both agreed on the fact that we’re London girls and living in Kent really is a noticeable change…) “I moved to Kent when I was 17 so I’ve been living here for almost 8 years now. I can really notice the change of pace, like we said, everything in London is so hectic and fast whereas here it’s extremely calming and green. I like the fact that I can go to London and appreciate it for what it is rather then actually living there.”

Tell us about your job before you came to Sun Pier House?

“I was working in a chalet in Austria taking care of catering, house-keeping and customer service. I also lived there in a separate chalet to the one that I worked in, the view from my window was an enormous snowy mointain. It’s a beautiful place Austria, the views and experiences where breathtaking. I even learnt to ski whilst working out there! One day we had two meters of snow and it got down to -16 degrees… it was so cold that when I went outside my eyelashes stuck together!”

What do you like the most about Medway?

“It’s so green! I like how slow paced it is compared to London. There’s always lots to do here, I’m always out keeping myself busy and I never get bored. I like to go to country parks and long walks to take in the beautiful scenery. It’s mad to think that it takes 10 minutes to go from the towns to the pure countryside. Ooo and another thing I love, easy access to the beach! This wasn’t a thing when I was growing up in London…”

What are you interests outside of work?

“Sport! I am into Kettlebells and Boxercise at the minute, this is due to my role as a sports therapist on the side. I also love reading in my spare time, my kindle is always with me… It helps bide some time on an 18-hour coach journey to and from Austria. I bake a lot in my spare time, and I must admit I do make a mean cake!”

What do you think you will bring to our tearoom?

(At this point in the convo I butted in and added that she has already shown her level of professionalism and the positive feedback has been flooding in already.) “So yeah, I would say I’m professional and friendly! I like working as a part of a team and here everyone is so down to earth that it makes it easy for us to stay focused and work together to get the jobs done to meet the high standards. I have a lot of knowledge in the industry due to my previous experience and am bringing this to the sun pier house kitchen already. My cooking and baking skills are ever growing and I love prepping and putting together the afternoon tea’s to ensure the customer gets the best out of their experience. I think my customer service skills really make the difference being able to work front of house and in the kitchen.”

What dish do you recommend from our menu and why?

“Ooo… I would say the Black Bean Chili! A winter warmer packed with protein. Perfect for this cold weather to get us through the final stretch of this typically British, cold spring weather.”

Have you enjoyed your time here so far?

“Yes definitely, It’s been keeping me busy and its great fun already. I love the whole team here and am looking forward to my future here.”