A WORD FROM THE CHEF
It aint 'alf hot mum!
Cor Blimey, lawks a lummey and other faded expressions from the eighteenth entury, it's hot. Too hot, so hot that we can't be bothered to turn the stoves on, so we haven't: no more cooking - its time for salads. Be gone stews, banish pies, tear and cast asunder all that is braised and bring forth the gentle tender leaves, crispy grills, and cooling anointments of summer.
Artichokes en barigoule, a fabulous name for a fabulous dish, tiny poivrade artichokes are simmered in white wine with shallots and herbs, resulting in tender stems and delicate leaves - a treat with a piece of cod, and a tomato dressing, sauce vierge if you will!
We have started serving our Sunday lunches with crispy little roasties and a fine salad made with whatever our friends at Appledore farm bring us, so far there have been radishes, beans of all varieties, various cresses, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, those wonderful artichokes I was telling you about and literally yards of herbs, All dressed with a classic French vinaigrette, they sit superbly beside a chunk of roast beef or a slab of pork.
As the summer progresses the mighty summer fishes will grace our tables, grilse, wild sea trout and the noblest of all - the wild salmon. Luckily these fish need delicate low heat cooking – something we're very keen on in the kitchen! Gently poached in white wine and herbs they will sit splendidly beside a salad of sorrel and watercress – the spikyness of the leaves mellowed with crème fraiche – and a nicely mustardy potato salad.
Jam season is upon us and the sugar has been flowing already, plums, strawberries, apricots, gooseberries, mirabelles, greengages, raspberries, blackberries, all will find their way into the preserving pan, and simply with some lemon juice and sugar they will be preserved for winter, glinting and tempting us to open their jars.
Stone fruits - summer is all about fruits and cream for me. Fruit to make sure you stay angelic, cream to feed your inner devil! We have, thus far, been poaching some beautiful peaches we found at the market; they have been a treat in a little salad with some raspberries and mint. But as the summer months roll on we'll keep some apricots and mirabelles from the jam pot and simmer them with spices and white wine and sugar for a late summer chilled fruit stew of unnerving beauty, crowned with some redcurrants for a burst of colour and zing and topped with, of course, a dollop of lovely whipped cream.
So, thank the gulfstream for our temperate weather, and steer clear of the underground – it's just not worth it in this weather, and take a stroll up the hill to Steam, a good meal and a chilled bottle await.
William Leigh