Blog from http://proseccoandpie.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/culinary-tour-de-france/

After the fun I had at Gareth Kyle’s summer supper club at Bradley Gardens, I have fallen in love with supper clubs. Unlike going for a meal in a restaurant, attending a supper club is like you’ve stumbled upon an exciting secret. You get the chance to meet people you’ve never met before and eat in some pretty amazing places – what’s not to love?

I headed along to Gareth’s Tour de France themed supper club earlier this week, excited to experience my second supper club! In keeping with the theme, the event took place at a cycling-inspired cafe called Pedalling Squares nestled at the foot of Whickham Bank, Newcastle. Naturally, there was only one person I could take with me, my sports-mad other half who could talk shop with other cycling fans while I eyed up the food.


  After grabbing a drink, we were shown upstairs to a pretty spectacular dining area. Our restaurant for the evening was a photography studio surrounded by unusual props, with long tables in the centre all bathed in twinkly candlelight and decorated with jam jars of pretty carnations.


  Though the venue looked fantastic, I couldn’t help noticing the absence of a kitchen… tucked away in a tiny room at the back, Gareth and his amazing team worked tirelessly to serve five courses to over 40 diners! The event kicked off with a delicious pastry-based pizza topped with olives, before we all tucked into a rich french onion soup and a sharing board of black pudding, baked camembert and pâté (served with rustic french bread of course). Richie and I were lucky enough to sit next to a lovely young couple, which meant we shared everything and had a brilliant evening getting to know each other.

For our mains, we enjoyed a seasonal supper of confit duck leg served on bed of crispy potatoes and fresh salad. Not only were the portion sizes more than generous, Gareth’s duck even managed to impress Richie (also known as the world’s fussiest eater, sorry darling)! After a short break, we waited with baited breath for dessert…(or, maybe that was just me?). Nevertheless we all practically inhaled our generous slice of apple tarte tartin topped with deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream.


  Just as we were all about to go our separate ways for the evening, Gareth pulled out one final surprise from up his sleeve… Mini amaretto milkshakes served in adorable mini milk bottles with fresh chocolate eclairs and dried strawberry pieces.
I’m biased because I love Gareth’s cooking, but hand on heart I can honestly say the evening exceeded my expectations. The venue was intimate and informal, it looked beautiful and the food (despite the sharing board not being my favourite assortment of food) was a really strong mixture, whilst keeping with the Tour De France theme.

Gareth hosts supper clubs throughout the year, so you have no excuse not to attend one! Great value for money and a great experience, I”m going to become a food groupie and follow him around the region… (Just kidding Gareth). You can also show your support for this talented local chef by watching him break a world recommend next month at the upcoming EAT! Festival. Find out more here….

BIKE MARKING DAY with NORTHUMBRIA POLICE. 
Get you bike marked for free to easily identify it if it gets stolen.. BIKE MARKING DAY THIS SATURDAYhttp://www.northumbria.police.uk/your_neighbourhood/gateshead/inner_west_gateshead/events/details.asp?id=87256

 There are certain things someone who lives with a cyclist takes for granted but which may raise the eyebrows of people who live in non-cycling households.

Cycling apparel and in particular bib shorts, is as good a place to start as any. Google image ‘bib shorts’ and if you are not sniggering but checking out the price, label, as well as attempting to assess the quality of chamois inserts then you either are a cyclist or you live with one.

This is because decent bib shorts, as every cyclist knows, are an essential part of a rider’s kit. To the untrained eye the often black, stretchy lycra shorts are just that; skin tight and rather revealing. Embarrassing even; if worn by a parent who has peddled home and straight to sports day without getting changed first;

‘Please Dad, yes, of course I’m glad you came to watch, just don’t get off the bike.’

To a cyclist, the right cycling gear makes a difference. Well-fitting shorts protect the wearer from soreness and keeps the cyclist comfortable and dry, within reason, however long they ride. Another fact which may escape the non-cyclists among us is that modern bib shorts are designed to be worn without underwear for maximum comfort or worn as undergarments themselves. Baggy boxers underneath reveal a cyclist’s amateur status faster than their speed on the bike. 

The kit worn on bikes has evolved and so too has the appearance of cyclists. Early specialist cycling clothes were made in Milan for five-time Giro d’Italia winner Alfredo Binda in 1910 and when Armando Castelli acquired the tailor shop in 1939 he began to design kit especially for iconic cyclists of the time. Fausto Coppi challenged Castelli to produce light clothing to lessen weight while he rode and allow him to race up Alp d’Huez and in 1940 at the age of 20 Coppi won his first Giro d’Italia. A silk jersey had replaced a woollen one.

Of course modern designs of clothing have come a long way since the 1950’s. Bib shorts are no longer knitted black wool with a leather chamois patch; spandex is all the rage with a synthetic chamois, in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit every rider. Hems are lined with silicone or elastic to keep the shorts in the right position. Cycling jerseys, cut long at the back to accommodate the bent-over position and equipped with a long zipper for ventilation fit the rider snuggly to reduce air resistance and are made of material designed to wick moisture from the skin to keep the cyclist cool and comfortable. 

All this, cyclist’s take for granted. While the choice of clothing style, whether retro or kit worn by a current cycling hero or team is another consideration, it is functionality that reigns supreme. 

This is because a cyclist is more than a casual rider, more than someone who has a bike in their shed but who rarely allows it to see daylight. 

Cycling becomes part of your lifestyle and so if you live with a cyclist you know about it.

It’s interesting to think about it from a non-cycling partner’s perspective for a moment. From the person who rolls over in bed (and would roll their eyes too if they were open) as the alarm goes off at the weekend sometimes even earlier than during the week and causes the cyclist to jump out of bed far quicker. 

The perspective of the partner waiting at home unsure whether the cyclist will return feeling elated as their legs felt good and ravenously hungry; able to eat as they deserve to reward their body for its performance. Or will the non-cycling partner welcome home a cyclist exhausted and beaten? A rider made to feel like the whipping boy for hours as their cycling companions have punished them up and down hills. Or do you live with a rider who’s battled on their own against their body’s reluctance to ride as they think it should? Or triumphed and ridden a new personal best? Will the cyclist collapse and feel dizzy and sick having pushed themselves too hard or will there be energy left to do ‘normal’ things at the weekend. Will they want to take the kids out for some lunch or have they already had a cycling café stop?

But if you live with a cyclist then you know that they do not think that they are the ones out of kilter. They do not think it odd for the male of the house to be giving the teenage daughters tips on shaving their legs or the best ways to keep their weight down. They do not think a couple of hours out of the house are indicative of a long ride and they would not swap their dedication and devotion to the bike for pretty much anything, unless really pushed! 

It is interesting to think of the perspective of a non-cyclist but really only if you are a non-cyclist. 

As Desmond Tutu once said ‘Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring.’

If you live with a cyclist they will agree but probably ask what Desmond Tutu knows about cycling anyway.

A true cyclist, whilst able to concede that their passion for riding the bike may be likened to a love affair or obsession, is probably more interested in their next ride or latest bike gear.

If you live with a cyclist and you don’t join them as far as their need to peddle is concerned, especially after that one terrifying time on a tandem when you were so frightened going down a hill at a ‘reasonable’ speed you swore you would never sit in a saddle again, you may not want to be a cyclist too, but you certainly admire the sport.  

We’re happy to announce that we will soon be opening Pedalling Squares café.

We knew you would be coming and yes, we have baked a cake. More than one actually, we will have fine collection for you to choose from and enjoy with our excellent coffee, teas and if it takes your fancy, handcrafted beer.

So we’d like to let you know that you are expected and tell you it’s an open invite. 

No pretensions or fuss. 

Dress code? 

That’s up to you. Everyone has their own preferences and although we have a grand selection of cycling gear for you to purchase and wear if you wish, again, that’s up to you.

What we have is an open door, the proverbial kettle on and a somewhere for you to leave your bike.

And that’s the thing, although we welcome people who arrive by whatever means they choose, Pedalling Squares intends to be a cyclist’s café. 

There is something rather special about a person who chooses to propel themselves to their destination using only their own strength, determination and a set of wheels attached one behind the other to a rigid frame. We applaud, support and are the same as you; this is a space for cyclist’s created by people who also dream on two wheels.

And a café is to a cyclist as mud is to a pig, something to revel in! A pig doesn’t need mud to survive, but it makes life a lot more comfortable. Part of the joy of cycling is the ability to hop on a bike and go, with the bare minimum of kit. Although carrying food, drink and the right tools is always an option and often a pretty good idea, the opportunity to make a ‘café stop’ is a very fine thing indeed. 

Cafés have always been places for people to meet, eat and be sociable or unsociable but in the company of others. 

As far back as Aristotle humans have been noted for their want and need to interact with each other and even if you want to be a solitary soul it is still almost impossible to exist without depending on others. 

So we’re sociable, need to trade skills to exist and who doesn’t enjoy a decent cup of coffee in a good spot? 

If you want to replenish some of the energy you used peddling to get here or wish to stimulate yourself with a virtually calorie free caffeine injection then we’ve both the cake and the coffee to please you. Ours is a place where the steam from your perspiration can mingle with your brew and your face can take shelter from the road.

In recent years there has been an increase in cafés which cater for cyclists and their particular penchant for all things velo. 

Whether you need to make some repairs on route, allow the legs to take a short break or whether you’d like to watch the professionals, either in the flesh , (do respect usual social norms, no unwelcome invasions of privacy please!) or on the big screen. A cycling café offers people the place to congregate and be amongst those with a similar outlook on life.

In the last decade or so, since David Millar’s first successes, cycling has increased by 12% in Britain with British Cycling announcing membership was up 50% after Wiggins won the Tour, that’s over 75,000 cyclists signed up and keen to be counted and the trend is growing.

So cycling is being enjoyed by more people and cycling cafés are making it a more enjoyable experience, whether a visit is an important part of your run, an oasis of relief from the burn or whether you simply fancy being around bikes and people who ride them.

Ernest Hemingway wrote ‘It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are…’ 

So,whether you have been training hard or simply been out for a spin, these are some of the reasons why Pedalling Squares is providing a space.

Somewhere to look at more than your hands and hear more than the rhythm of your breathing.

Somewhere to stop before you start to ride again.

What comes of the space, the stories exchanged, the friendships struck up, the club runs fondly remembered and repeated?

The rest is up to you.
Words CJ Sweeney 
Photograph by Ryan Edy

Great vintage bike site in Germany, keeping the steel bike heritage going
http://www.steel-vintage.com/

We now offer a custom design and manufacture of team tops for clubs. We offer design FREE OF CHARGE