At its helm is David Everitt-Matthias and his wife Helen, who have been running the restaurant since 1987, during which time, David has never missed a single service. It shows. Not for him the impulse to chase expansion with a slew of outposts of ever- diminishing quality; rather he remains undemonstratively in his kitchen, cooking up a seasonally changing menu of what he calls ‘a cross between the ‘terroir’ and modern French with very original touches’ and which has garnered him a reputation for making dishes taste ‘more of themselves than the original ingredient.’ And that, we say, is the very highest praise a chef could receive – that, and of course the two Michelin stars he’s been garlanded with along with a string of other awards.
Here, David shares two recipes for late spring as it slips into early summer – and, like everything he touches, they are unfussy, beautifully crafted and more than the sum of their parts.
Pea Pannacotta, Chilled Pea, Apple and Mint
The pannacotta here is set with gelatine, but you could use agar agar, a seaweed with great gelling properties.
Serves 6
Pea Pannacotta
400g podded peas
150g green of leek, chopped
300g milk
50g unsalted butter
3 leaves gelatine, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
Seasoning
Peas
75g podded peas, blanched and shelled
½ Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced
4 mint leaves
4 pea tendrils
Dressing
5g cider vinegar
60g olive oil
1 egg yolk
20g water
Pinch of caster sugar
Seasoning
Goat Cheese Cream
50g soft goat cheese
25g Philadelphia
25g mascarpone
25g double cream
Seasoning
To make the Pea Pannacotta:
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the chopped leek greens.
Cook for 1 minute, add the peas, cook for another 2 minutes, then add the milk and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 3 minutes and remove from the heat.
Squeeze out the gelatine and stir into the mixture until dissolved. Transfer to a blender.
Blend until smooth, season, and pass through a fine sieve into a jug.
Divide between six 6.5cm x 5cm bowls. Allow to cool and set.
Mix the blanched peas with the diced apple and freshly chopped mint. Add a little dressing, season, and spoon onto the pannacotta.
Garnish with pea tendrils and dots of goat cheese cream.
For the Dressing:
Whisk the egg yolk with the cider vinegar.
Gradually whisk in the olive oil.
Taste, season, and refrigerate until needed.
For the Goat Cheese Cream:
Beat the goat cheese until smooth.
Add the Philadelphia, then the mascarpone, and finally the cream. Season to taste and transfer to a squeezy bottle.
Barbecued Marinated Mackerel
This marinade is loosely based on chermoula, a spicy Moroccan paste. It’s a perfect partner for oily fish like mackerel, and equally good with thick white fish such as cod or pollock. Paired with a grilled vegetable and mozzarella salad, it makes for a superb meal.
Serves 4–6
4–6 medium mackerel, gutted and cleaned
Maldon salt
Marinade
100g olive oil
50g peeled shallots, roughly chopped
30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
25g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
30g lemon juice
5g fresh mint
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3g coriander seeds
3g cumin seeds
1g black peppercorns
½ dried chilli
Zest of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
To prepare:
Dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns in a small pan over moderate heat until fragrant. Cool.
Blend all the marinade ingredients until smooth. Store in a jar in the fridge.
Score each side of the mackerel five times, not quite to the bone. Salt with Maldon salt and let sit for 5 minutes.
Rub the marinade into the fish.
Barbecue the fish for approximately 5 minutes on each side until charred and just cooked.
Drizzle with any leftover marinade and allow to rest for 2–3 minutes. Re-season if needed.
Serve with a marinated vegetable salad, or flake the fish into a bowl and mix with the salad. Drizzle with dressing before serving.
