Medjool dates evoke a few fond memories for me. My grandmother and mother both love dates; I remember how grandmother and I would sit in front of the fire on a cold winters day with nothing sweet to nibble on in the larder apart from a packet of dried dates. I remember holding them in my warm hands to soften them and then nibbling on them until I’m left with the stone in my mouth. It was sweet and meaty just like a fresh plump medjool date. The other memory I have is when I spent time in Israel working at a moshav in Hazeva near Eilat. I was working there with a few friends and we often took the bus to Eilat, en-route we’d pass large date palm plantations – gosh these palm trees were beautiful and usually covered with heavy ripe fruits ready to be harvested. These fond childhood memories of dates come back vividly, even now I’m sitting here remembering the days sitting in the air- conditioned bus en-route to Eilat viewing the beautiful date palm trees. Memories!!

The meaty rich and creamy texture of the dates compliments the duck pastrami, it gives the dish that luxurious velvety texture whereas the zesty blood orange cuts through the richness of the duck and dates. It’s a lovely combination, not only delicious but colourful enough to brighten up colder days.

Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula, is a diving duck. Due to grazing on marshes and closer to the sea shore its meat has a dark red colour and has a stronger gamier taste than the rest of the wild duck species.

Davids recommendation was to boil the duck and then blend it into a pate. My thoughts turned to the chicken liver parfait recipe that we current make at the restaurant. So the inspiration for this recipe came from that. After a good look and prod and feel I realised there is not much to these tufted ducks, however the breast meat can be bulked out with items such as chicken livers, which in tow will mellow the overwhelming strong game flavour and make it more palatable.

I served this rich and flavoursome parfait with quinces poached in red wine and Professor Baker’s pickled walnuts, aka “wombats”. The textures and flavours works a treat. Do remember to serve small amounts of this parfait as it’s incredibly rich and provide plenty of toasted sourdough.

These events give us the opportunity to prepare and create mouth watering dishes. The recipe opportunities are endless. Now that the game season has begun with autumn in full swing it’s time to bring back our show stopping game dishes.

This venison carpaccio is a twist on a classic beef carpaccio with the addition of a crispy venison shoulder lollipop and a delicious shallot and hazelnut vinaigrette.

I like cooking with game, the meat is lean hence being healthier, and for me personally it’s all about the fact that it is very seasonal. Another great friend of ours, David Grimwood has been incredibly kind by bringing us various bits of game and educated us about the amazing world of the wild ducks. This pan-roasted teal and pearl barley salad with damson vinaigrette is just one of many fantastic recipes we created with David’s gifts of wild ducks.



Have a look at these mouthwatering game recipes for further inspiration on cooking with game:

• A Tasting of Game
• Partridge, Fig and Salted Caramel Walnuts
• Venison Haunch Steak with Spelt Grain and Red Wine Sauce
• Venison and Smoked Pnachetta Meatballs

Mackerel is delicious and versatile and can be served hot or cold, smoked, raw or cooked. Due to the rich oily flesh mackerel works best with strong acid flavours such as saffron, lemons, limes, tomatoes, orange, fennel, chilli, ginger and wasabi. The skin of mackerel is thin and therefore crisps up easily and tastes equally delicious. My philosophy about mackerel is to keep it simple; it’s a humble fish, and over-complicating a recipe incorporating mackerel is doing no one any flavours! The combination of using fresh and smoked mackerel adds a different dimension to the dish.

I usually associate tomatoes with mackerel, it might be from the days when my dad used to eat tinned sardines and tomato salad as a snack. Towards the end of Summer when tomatoes are ripening and plentiful, one might wonder what to do with a glut of tomatoes? Well I have the answer to this dilemma; last year I wrote this lovely post on how to preserve them if you have too many. One of the three recipes on there I use the most is the semi-dried tomato recipe. We use lots and lots of them in the restaurant and semi-dry all shapes and sizes from cherry tomatoes to large ripe plum tomatoes, it works all the same and they are truly delicious – with the intense flavour they work beautifully with the oily mackerel.

The spring this year was baking hot and we longed for rain. Now that summer is here the skies are overcast with heavy grey clouds and I’m tempted to turn the central heating on. It’s crazy!

The brightness and beauty of this soup is perfect for any occasion; it definately brightens up my day. If grey and cold serve it hot with a large chunk of freshly baked bread or if it’s hot and sunny serve the soup chilled along with a chilled glass of pinot gris.

The best chef’s tip for how to keep a green soup green is to ensure that the cooking time for the greens are as limited as possible and that the soup is chilled, preferably over ice, as quickly as possible. This will ensure a deliciously bright green soup. I also recommended making this soup in small batches, to ensure the bright green colour.

What is buckler leaf sorrel? The buckler leaf sorrel is a hardy perennial herb producing small insignificant green flowers in the summer and has shield shaped green leaves that taste as similarly tart as Granny Smith apples and kiwi fruits. Like common sorrel, buckle leaf sorrel has a sharp citric irony taste. Buckler leaf sorrel is also known as French sorrel and is native to the mountains of southern and central Europe and southwest Asia. This sorrel variety is more succulent and acidic than those of the common garden sorrel. In traditional folk medicine buckler leaf sorrel was used as an antiseptic because of its high vitamin C content and was believed to prevent scurvy. In addition to being rich in vitamin C it is also high in vitamin A and is a good source of iron.

Moving to Suffolk always was and still is about the quality of ingredients on offer. We made it our business to move into a region unknown to us and to adapt, absorb and work with the local area. It’s not always been an easy ride however after 10 months we can safely say we still feel the same drive as when we first moved here. We have met some fantastic people along the way and Mark Hayward from Dingley Dell has taken us “under his wing” and supported and helped us along the way. He has also in an indirect way helped us firmly confirm our ethos and what the British Larder stands for.

Dingley Dell farm is no more 2.5 miles from us and and having this high quality ingredient so close provides that all important reassurance we require to ensure that we have made the right choice. We are continuously working with Mark either on new recipes or new concepts. Dingley Dell is a Freedoms Food approved farm and has consequently introduced us to the wonderful world of Freedom Foods. We are proud to say that we take part in the Freedoms Foods Simply Ask campaign and tick six boxes in the freedom food categories of high animal welfare! That is stupendously impressive. We are working hard to tick the final three.

I have a conscience and certainly do not want it to be a guilty one!

Well it all just simply makes sense. I would not serve yet alone work with ingredients where I know an animal might have suffered. Why should my customers have to eat it? I make it my business to know where our food comes from and I know that our customers trust that we take animal welfare and indeed customer welfare to heart. We are also serious about food miles; the closer and more local the better for us.

It’s not always easy as these ingredients sometimes cost more due to not being mass bread, as they are usually from small independent businesses. Ross and I made a promise to support small local producers, farmers and suppliers as we believe that our penny and pound spend  in the county we live in will boost the local economy and those farmers, producers and suppliers can become stronger, develop and consequently deliver better quality and standards for our customers to enjoy. It’s all one vicious circle and it’s hard to stay inside and do the hamster run with it, but most importantly we must not fall out, keep working at it and persevere. So no foie grass for us then!

These magical scotch eggs are perhaps the single most popular dish here at the British Larder. We have a scotch egg for every season. During the game season the Dingley dell smoked ham are substituted for either venison or pheasant scotch egg.

Our secret to the perfect scotch egg is simple:

1. Use free range organic eggs, large preferably

2. Cook the eggs for 7 minutes and dunk them immediately in ice water after 7 minutes

3. Make sure the sausage meat mixture on the outside is tasty, well seasoned and contains the best ingredients you can find.

Simple! The magical scotch egg…done!

The king of vegies and best of all it grows here on my doorstep. The Suffolk sandlings is the perfect place, with its soft sandy soil.

Early on in the season it’s at its sweetest and most tender. The British asparagus season is short but when it’s here we love it! Simplicity is key. For me the humble egg is the best best companion, whether hens or ducks eggs soft boiled with plenty of Maldon sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

The team is working hard, we finally turned the waste land by the back door into a tiny…no lets rephrase that…. minute organic kitchen garden. Inspiration for the boys to go out and pick a few flowers, herbs and strawberries. Well it’s not enough for us to serve the restaurant. We heavily rely on as many freebies, from Dans mums garden and a top up from David keeps our fridges filled with summer lushness.

The garden has unfortunately fallen into the hands, mouths and beaks of the two, four, five, ten and twenty legged creatures living out there. However, I’m turning a blind eye, It’s keeping me sane, when needs must, I pop out to “water” the garden and then all the worldly sins are forgotten.

Let them eat…kolhrabi! if it’s the only price I have to pay for my own sanity!

This Keens cheddar brûlée is one of the simpler recipes that highlights the taste of the fantastic asparagus. It’s easy to prepare and brings a wonderful smile and ‘wow’ to the dining table. I did use my beloved Thermomix for this recipe, however, if you do not have one, do not panic. Simply use a old fashioned double boiler. The traditional method is just as effective however it involves stirring and ones constant attention.

The beauty and purpose of the chive flower: They are spectacular, bright purple blue and interestingly beautiful. Not only are they pretty to look at however have several functions. It’s perfect for eating and brightens up any dish. If planted in the garden the purple blue attracts bees, encourage pollination. On the other hand it acts as an insect-repellant and planted to control pests.

Our friend Chris from Maximus delivers these beautiful Morston mussels to us and whether we serve this dish as a starter or a main, it’s hugely popular.

This time of the year one almost feels slightly deprived from sunshine and the happiness of the summer sun which delivers brightly coloured foods such as berries, peppers and tomatoes. However, with the earth warming up as we move into spring, seeing beautiful food such as these mussels and leeks is enough to put a gentle smile on ones face, and it’s a soft reminder that summer is on its way.

A few mussel facts:

• Even though mussels have a stigma of being a poor man’s shellfish, they are most probably the only shellfish that is plentiful, not endangered and the most environmentally sound shellfish available to eat.
  
• Norfolk is best known for its mussels with a wide selection from Morston to Brancaster.
  
• Mussels are only good to eat in months with an “R” in it, and it also depends on the sea temperature – the colder the better.

The combination of cauliflower, scallops and apple is not new; no it’s done and dusted by fellow cooks for many years, but let’s face it, it’s rather good, and my old saying is if it is not broken then do not fix it. Cooking is not about re-inventing the wheel, no, for me it’s about doing a job well and doing it right. The execution, presentation and taste is of prime importance.

I love food, and of course eating it is that all important bit I really like. I also get bored of food very quickly, especially if the foods I’m eating combined have one dimensional texture or taste. For me, a plate of food must be exciting not only to look at but also to eat. When designing a dish I’m looking for different textures and tastes; every mouthful must have a little surprise installed; then it’s exciting!

For this scallop dish I serve not only the cauliflower, horseradish and apple puree but also serve apple crisps that add a tangy crispness to the dish.

To season the scallops I dug my old magic curry powder recipe out. The intentions with this salted curry dust is not to give the scallops a curry flavour but to enhance the taste and flavour of the sweet scallops. I use the dust as a seasoning as you would normally season the scallops with salt and pepper. I do not, however, use pepper as I feel the strength of the pepper will overpower it all.

In light of this, however, I think we managed perfectly well. From quince chutney and purees to crumbles, curds and jellies, quinces featured on everything and anything from breakfast items, soups, starters, mains, desserts and also on the cheese boards. We even managed a seasonal cocktail we called a Quince Collins, using a quince vanilla puree mixed with gin and topped with soda water and plenty of ice.

We are now to the bare bones and the last tray of stored quinces. It’s almost sad and I’m slightly panicking as I’m not sure what the next glut is going to be!

Steve and I are flipping coins as to who is getting the final few. Well, as two grown ups we decided that we should share it equally, how civilised!?

I made the final batch of medlar and quince jelly with quince curd for desserts and Steve is serving his quinces up in this delicious and dare I say very festive starter.

We have already discussed that once the quinces run out we shall change over to pears.

If like us you have a glut of quinces, try these recipes:

• Medlar and Quince Jelly, Quince Curd and Garibaldi Biscuits
• Twice Baked Quince and Hazelnut Crumble with Quince Custard
• Quince Brule Tarts
• Quince Curd