Seasonal Delights - Wise badger
Autumn is, undoubtedly, my favourite time of year as a chef. As the leaves change from green to a myriad of yellows and bronzes I start implementing the dishes that have been swirling round my subconscious for the past few months.
I remember, as a young boy living on a farm in the Cotswolds, I helped the shoot by ‘beating’ or ‘driving’ the pheasants to their fate; with the exception of a ride-on lawnmower, the only time I have driven anything, much to the chagrin of my wife!
A few years later, whilst washing up for a small country house hotel, the local shoot would come for a hearty roast lunch and a warming dram of whisky in the restaurant after their morning’s activity in the dew-cleansed countryside. As they relaxed, I would learn both of the magnitude of their success and, equally, my fate for the afternoon, as the game keepers would then deliver the recently deceased - and often still warm birds. Sold as a brace (usually, although not always, male and female together), tied together by the head, and ready for my kitchen companions and I to spend the ensuing hours preparing the birds for the week’s menu, although the difficulty of preparing the birds paled into insignificance next to the task of retrieving all of the discarded feathers!
Summer in the United Kingdom is almost, inevitably, all too brief an affair, which in recent years has struggled to match up to beautifully warm Easter periods, although this October’s fantastic weather has had a valiant attempt at dampening the impact of my autumn menu! This summer has presented us with the most fantastic strawberries and raspberries, but as much as I have enjoyed the plentiful harvest passed forward by friends and suppliers, there has still been a thought gnawing away at the back of my mind … autumn, autumn, autumn!
It may seem almost perverse to wish the warm weather away; however, as the weather turns, England’s larder becomes more than just fine with foods that our small damp island should shout about.
Wild mushrooms such as Wood Blewit, Chanterelles, Penny bun (Cep) and Girolles from Scotland, and a variety of nuts - chestnuts, walnuts and Kentish cobnuts (a cousin of the hazelnut also known as filberts), all graced my kitchen just last week, and all at present are both young and sweet.
And then, there are the root vegetables! Admittedly, excitedly welcoming the humble root vegetable might be pushing it for some, but we have amazing turnips, with their delicate peppery flavour, swede, parsnips and Jerusalem artichoke (which is not actually an artichoke at all but rather a tubular member of the sunflower family, hence it’s American name - Sun-choke. And then there’s the earthy sweetness of beetroot, packed with vitamin C, and grown in varieties such as Globe, Golden and Candy striped, also known locally as Cheltenham Beetroot, to name but a few.
And at last, the pinnacle of the culinary calendar for the carnivorously inclined: GAME!
Wild foods packed full of flavour, be it any of the Venison - Roe, Fallow or Muntjac (a personal favourite, which I am lucky enough to get shot-to-order – luck permitting - from a nearby Cotswold estate); Mallard, Teal, Widgeon - sometimes known as dabbling duck. And, not least, the delectable Grouse - favoured by the ‘gentry’, which in my mind, announces the final countdown to Autumn as its season begins on the 12th of August, decadently known as the ‘Glorious 12th’ - and for good reason. Just imagine the taste of that flavourful meat with its wonderful texture, the bread sauce and game chips!
Then of course we have our ‘locals’, Pheasant and Partridge, which although bred for shoots are allowed free range of large estates. The ‘better eating’ but plain English grey is on the decline, so you will more than likely find yourself eating its cousin, the fancy red-legged French ‘invader’, whilst having the satisfaction in the knowledge that, in this case at least, English is best.
This year I have seen Hare more than ever before and, much to my mother’s dismay, it is occupying my mind. My thoughts collide on how to prepare it should the opportunity present itself; will it be classically jugged or maybe more modern - roast loin, braised hind, salt-baked celeriac, bitter chocolate……. blackberries…….what about those cobnuts?
As the nights draw in and the weather cools, I hope you will join me in celebrating the season and raise a glass of last year’s Sloe gin whilst preparing to collect for this year’s vintage - if you need to cheat, the supermarket could probably help here; and if you can’t join me in these seasonal delights of mine please do not despair, if nothing else, as a nation we are certainly proficient in comfort food, it’s time for steamed puddings and crumble I believe!
Autumn is, undoubtedly, my favourite time of year as a chef. As the leaves change from green to a myriad of yellows and bronzes I start implementing the dishes that have been swirling round my subconscious for the past few months.
I remember, as a young boy living on a farm in the Cotswolds, I helped the shoot by ‘beating’ or ‘driving’ the pheasants to their fate; with the exception of a ride-on lawnmower, the only time I have driven anything, much to the chagrin of my wife!
A few years later, whilst washing up for a small country house hotel, the local shoot would come for a hearty roast lunch and a warming dram of whisky in the restaurant after their morning’s activity in the dew-cleansed countryside. As they relaxed, I would learn both of the magnitude of their success and, equally, my fate for the afternoon, as the game keepers would then deliver the recently deceased - and often still warm birds. Sold as a brace (usually, although not always, male and female together), tied together by the head, and ready for my kitchen companions and I to spend the ensuing hours preparing the birds for the week’s menu, although the difficulty of preparing the birds paled into insignificance next to the task of retrieving all of the discarded feathers!
Summer in the United Kingdom is almost, inevitably, all too brief an affair, which in recent years has struggled to match up to beautifully warm Easter periods, although this October’s fantastic weather has had a valiant attempt at dampening the impact of my autumn menu! This summer has presented us with the most fantastic strawberries and raspberries, but as much as I have enjoyed the plentiful harvest passed forward by friends and suppliers, there has still been a thought gnawing away at the back of my mind … autumn, autumn, autumn!
It may seem almost perverse to wish the warm weather away; however, as the weather turns, England’s larder becomes more than just fine with foods that our small damp island should shout about.
Wild mushrooms such as Wood Blewit, Chanterelles, Penny bun (Cep) and Girolles from Scotland, and a variety of nuts - chestnuts, walnuts and Kentish cobnuts (a cousin of the hazelnut also known as filberts), all graced my kitchen just last week, and all at present are both young and sweet.
And then, there are the root vegetables! Admittedly, excitedly welcoming the humble root vegetable might be pushing it for some, but we have amazing turnips, with their delicate peppery flavour, swede, parsnips and Jerusalem artichoke (which is not actually an artichoke at all but rather a tubular member of the sunflower family, hence it’s American name - Sun-choke. And then there’s the earthy sweetness of beetroot, packed with vitamin C, and grown in varieties such as Globe, Golden and Candy striped, also known locally as Cheltenham Beetroot, to name but a few.
And at last, the pinnacle of the culinary calendar for the carnivorously inclined: GAME!
Wild foods packed full of flavour, be it any of the Venison - Roe, Fallow or Muntjac (a personal favourite, which I am lucky enough to get shot-to-order – luck permitting - from a nearby Cotswold estate); Mallard, Teal, Widgeon - sometimes known as dabbling duck. And, not least, the delectable Grouse - favoured by the ‘gentry’, which in my mind, announces the final countdown to Autumn as its season begins on the 12th of August, decadently known as the ‘Glorious 12th’ - and for good reason. Just imagine the taste of that flavourful meat with its wonderful texture, the bread sauce and game chips!
Then of course we have our ‘locals’, Pheasant and Partridge, which although bred for shoots are allowed free range of large estates. The ‘better eating’ but plain English grey is on the decline, so you will more than likely find yourself eating its cousin, the fancy red-legged French ‘invader’, whilst having the satisfaction in the knowledge that, in this case at least, English is best.
This year I have seen Hare more than ever before and, much to my mother’s dismay, it is occupying my mind. My thoughts collide on how to prepare it should the opportunity present itself; will it be classically jugged or maybe more modern - roast loin, braised hind, salt-baked celeriac, bitter chocolate……. blackberries…….what about those cobnuts?
As the nights draw in and the weather cools, I hope you will join me in celebrating the season and raise a glass of last year’s Sloe gin whilst preparing to collect for this year’s vintage - if you need to cheat, the supermarket could probably help here; and if you can’t join me in these seasonal delights of mine please do not despair, if nothing else, as a nation we are certainly proficient in comfort food, it’s time for steamed puddings and crumble I believe!
RSS Feed