|
MY APPROACH TO FOOD
As you may have gathered from the home page and menu, it is important to me to source local produce for my menus. Claiming 'locally sourced produce' has become a bit of a trend in restaurants in the last few years, and its easy to lazily scatter the word 'local' across a menu to impress people without being specific or honest about what that actually means or even knowing the real provenance of the food.
But for me it is more than a buzzword to join a bandwagon to attract customers, it is something I firmly believe in and try to adhere to wherever possible. I don't simply use the ambiguous word 'local' on my menus, I make specific reference to the food's origins.
The recent movement in the industry towards looking more on our own doorstep and celebrating our home grown British produce is surely a good thing, especially when we focus on the individual character and heritage of our own region, and take pride in the quality of produce available in the area. Lancaster is well placed for sourcing great produce, with the Ribble Valley, South Cumbria and the lakes, and Morecambe Bay all close by. There are so many great producers and suppliers in the area, and virtually all of the produce I use comes from North Lancashire and South Cumbria. But its not just a question of local, its also an emphasis on quality.
Good Cooking is lots of simple things done well, with attention to detail at each stage. To me the most important though, is the quality of the ingredients. It sounds obvious but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. You may be the most talented and creative chef in the world, or you may be a home cook trying out a great new recipe, but if attention is not paid to the quality of the raw ingredients, and they are poor or mediocre quality, the finished dish will never be very good.
Wherever possible, I like to use small specialist suppliers from the region where I can deal directly with the producer. This has so many benefits. Not only does it support the economy of the region and provide mutual support between local businesses strengthening ties between them, and keeps 'food miles' to a minimum, it also ensures I get the best food. It means I have direct contact with the farmers, producers and sellers who I get to know personally and who get to understand my requirements. If I have a problem, I know who to talk to, someone who understands his product and cares about its quality. It is far preferable to dealing with a telesales agent with no real product knowledge, who works for a large company which is run by people who only care about the bottom line. The best small specialist producers are experts in their field who care about the quality and reputation of their product, and in the case of meat, the condition and welfare of their animals.
Whilst it is important when running a restaurant or any business to keep control of your costs, in my mind quality has to come first, and I try to buy the best I can afford. If it was simply a case of getting the cheapest stuff I can, regardless or origin or standard, in order to make the most profit, then i would rather not bother at all. My friend Jim Hadwin from Mansergh Hall Farm said to me when I first approached him; "If a chef comes to me and the first question he asks is about price, then I know we won't end up doing business with him, but if the first question is about quality and origin, and he wants to try samples, then I think we could work together." I deal with Jim and others like him, because they grow and feed their animals naturally, and keep them outside in their natural surroundings, which not only makes for happier and healthier animals, but far better quality and tastier meat.
So much meat in the supermarkets and even in butcher's shops comes from animals that are intensively farmed, crammed into barns and artificially grown at a faster rate with growth promoters, chemically enhanced feed, and dosed up with a cocktail of antibiotics to combat infection in their unnaturally cramped and unhealthy living conditions. Animals that are cared for like those at Mansergh Hall, have a quality of life, and are much tastier and healthier to eat, because they have been fed and grown naturally, and have room to exersize and develop their muscles and natural fat. The taste difference is very significant. Similarly, Johnson and Swarbrick's Goosnargh ducks and chickens are fed and grown naturally, and are rightly widely renowned throughout, and beyond the region for their taste and quality.
My approach to my own cooking is based on making good ingredients shine, and on great flavours. I like to keep things fairly simple, without getting carried away with overly elaborate dishes or quirky combinations. A good piece of meat or fish doesn't really need much doing to it, apart from cooking it with precision and attention to detail, good seasoning and and partnering it with complimentary flavours. Sometimes chefs can get carried away with showing off their techniques and elaborate creations, and end up sacrificing flavour in the process.
It is very hard to reinvent the wheel as a chef, but equally it is important to have your own style. If I have a 'Signature' dish, it would be my 'Roasted Breast of Goosnargh Duck with parsnip and potato mash, a port and bramble jelly sauce, and parsnip crisps' Obviously the starting point is the great quality Goosnargh duck, and parsnips are one of our great British vegetables, in season from early autumn right through to the Spring and are a great flavour combination with duck. Using them in both a smooth mash/puree and in crisply fried slices (like a kind of parsnip game chips) offers nice contrasting textures. The port and red wine sauce is finished with a little bramble jelly, which I make myself in the autumn when blackberries are plentiful. The trick is to get a nice flavour of blackberry into the sauce without making it too sweet or overpowering. Its always a pleasure to cook that dish, especially when people really love it, as its what I would eat if I was ordering off my own menu!
Some items on the menu can be more simple, such as my Mansergh Hall Organic Pork Fillet filled with sausagemeat, and wrapped in pancetta which is simply served with mashed potato and a mushroom cream sauce flavoured with a little mustard and tarragon. Its been one of the most popular dishes consistently.
Having completed an advanced Patisserie course in 2001, I always like to make my own desserts, and swap them around with heartier puddings for winter and lighter ones in the summer. My personal favourite is the classic lemon tart which is usually on in spring and summer, although its replaced with a pear and almond tart in autumn, and bramley apple and almond for winter.
|
