We have all enjoyed a lovely winter rest, with the economy of the Canary Islands raised considerably with a large majority of our staff enjoying a relaxing, sunny break.

Damon and Stephi immersed themselves in the Australian culture down under and had a truly brilliant experience, just ask them about the vineyards! Along their travels, vast expanses of the country were covered by road and on foot, certain very special restaurants visited and wineries (very thoroughly!) discovered. Damon’s commitment to his passion for wine means that now the sourcing is underway to bring a few of the stunning wines to the Restaurant here to tempt you.

Meanwhile, I fell in love with the tradition and geographical interest of Holland, touring historical villages and consuming multiple Oliebollens, the popular doughnut-like addictive pastries with the consequential danger of resembling one. I was also able to have my fix of my favourite hobby – being on the other side of the restaurant business – as I caught up with the city in a blissful week of dining out, at every possible mealtime, in London and soaking up the capital’s culture.

However, after weeks apart we are all delighted to be back in idyllic Cornwall as the snowdrops begin to blink in the glorious morning sun, breaking out and carpeting the woods, with the new lambs finding their feet in the nearby fields, clearly signalling spring is close.

We have already flown through our first couple of busy weeks, with our beautiful new menu receiving sensational feedback. With a few tweaks to the format with a delicious extra course, cheese now integrated into our tasting experience and with the release of Nathan’s Seafood Book in May, this year looks set to be incredibly exciting.

The kitchen is already reflecting this with everyone brimming over with passion. As Chris, our lovely and very talented Chef previously in Fowey with the team, rejoins Nathan, it seems a winning combination as they work with Tim and Dean to showcase the finest local ingredients. We are also delighted to welcome Char to our team this year, who has fitted in seamlessly with the restaurant, bringing elegance, intelligence and a beaming smile to our front of house family. With our ‘new’ additions and preparations for the year, a happy and fervent buzz is radiating from all corners.

We hope you have all had a great winter too and look forward to seeing you all bright and fresh this year, with the possibility of altering that with an irresistible glass of wine. The whole Outlaw team are all geared up and eager to welcome you!

As we bubble wrap the restaurant for our Christmas closure, peel our apprentices from their worktops ready for a well earned break and as the walls shiver with excitement in anticipation of a little top up on the Farrow and Ball, we wistfully reminisce about how much joy and real fun we have had this year from serving fantastic dishes and receiving such lovely guests.

Our great local suppliers have done us proud again with stunning fish and accompaniments with magnificent flavours bursting through as they arrive straight from the just down the Cornish lanes into our kitchen. From the great selection of dishes this year, a personal favourite that floored me upon first taste has to be the Brill with Ham Hock and Tartare Sauce, an incredibly refined and flavoursome adaptation of the perfect comfort food, a dish which I feel has Cornwall and its traditions right at its heart.

Throughout the year, it has been wonderful to catch up with our regular guests and welcome new ones into the RNO family. Whatever the occasion has been – birthday, anniversary, Tuesday (!), we have loved every minute and thank everyone who has supported us this year.

We hope to welcome you in 2012 to our beautiful bubble of Nathan and the team’s brilliant cooking and the fantastic restaurant setting overlooking the Camel Estuary. From the menus currently being devised in the kitchen, it looks to be another exciting season of fine food and superb wine. In the meantime, we send our best wishes to you for a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of the Outlaw Team!

Tom Kerridge & Nathan Outlaw Master Class Menu

with accompanying wines

 Canapes

Smoked Fishcake, Chive & Crackler Mayonnaise

Mackerel & Red Pepper Tart

Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Brut NV, Cédric Bouchard, Champagne, France

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Port Isaac Crab Scotch Egg

Water Cress & Shallots

Saint Bris Vieilles Vignes 2009, Les Temps Perdus, Burgundy, France

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Truffle Pork Terrine

Dill, Pickles & sourdough

Ataraxia Chardonnay 2009, Kevin Grant, Hermanus, SA

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Char Grilled Monkfish Tail

Pumpkin & Salami Dressing

Côtes du Jura 2009, Julien Labet, Jura, France

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Shin of Beef

Carrot & Shin Sauce

Lalande de Pomerol 2006, Château Haut-Goujon, Bordeaux, France

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Cheese

’5 year Old Crackler’ and Cornish Rarebit with Pear & Cider Chutney

Sparkling Red 2010, Camle Valley, Cornwall, UK

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Vanilla Crème Brûlée

Innus & Gunn Original 

This festive feeling has led to behaviour such as the immediate urge to curl up on a snug St. Enodoc sofa in front of the fire with a chestnut grappa and the formation of a misty glaze over the eyes with a dreamy expression when the words ‘a refreshingly peaceful cliff top stroll’ are mentioned. Both of which can be troublesome impulsions for the staff in the hub of a busy evening!

Meanwhile, from our cosy kitchen and restaurant we have the dedicated and hardy fishermen in our thoughts, for which this time of year is perhaps not their favourite as they valiantly battle on through the choppy Celtic sea to bring us beautiful mackerel, crab, prawns, clams, mussels, oysters, bream and brill for our current tasting menu.

These fish from the Cornish waters are gorgeous at the moment, looking fresh, bright and happy (well, happy that they are at least in Nathan’s experienced hands!) In particular, our latest fourth course is producing beaming faces as it glides over the taste buds. This is a striking assembly of brill with a toasted covering of pine nuts and hazelnuts, succulent marinated beetroot, hogs pudding and mushroom ketchup; an epitome of winter with the bold flavours seamlessly flowing into one other with each mouthful.

From our pastry section, we are sporting a finale of freshly baked almond sponge, the aroma of which literally makes us weak at the knees when it ambushes us from the oven midway through service, with Nathan’s moreish sugared pistachios and pear-ginger sorbet. This latter element I feel it is perfectly acceptable to eat by itself. With a ladle. For breakfast.

So as you may sense, we are indeed in high spirits here, undeterred by the blanket of the winter chill settling over the estuary and benefiting, as ever, from the beautiful seasonal offerings of the Cornish landscape.

Nathan and Tom Kerridge went to work cooking a six course tasting menu for 45 lucky diners. Nathan demonstrated the perfect Cornish Rarebit made using Davidstow Crackler extra mature cheddar, and Tom demonstrated his classic crème Brûlée.

For the second Master Class of the Seafood & Grill Master Class Season 2011 Nathan was joined by Michael Caines (MBE). The only two chefs in the South West to hold two Michelin Stars cooked a six course tasting menu for guests. Accompanying wines were matched to the evening’s menu by Nathan’s sommelier, Damon Little. Daphne Skinnard (BBC Radio Cornwall) led a question and answer interview with the chefs just before they demonstrated two of their dishes. The Master Class was streamed live from our website for viewers at home wanting to get a closer look at two of the UK’s greatest chefs in action.

To see the menu from the evening and for some behind the scenes pictures click here

When buying lobster always try to get them fresh and alive. It is best asking your fish monger a few days in advance. Keep them in a cold fridge under a damp cloth until you are ready to cook them. It is important with any shellfish that you keep it chilled and covered while still alive. If you allow it to warm up, you run the risk of the shellfish becoming stressed and releasing a stress hormone, which will in turn contribute to a loss of the natural flavour.

In the Seafood & Grill we oven roast the lobsters to order by cutting them down the middle, and smearing with a salted butter. This takes around 6 minutes in a very hot oven, basting the butter back over the lobster as you go. Before cooking this way, remove the thin dark intestinal sack that runs down the back of the tail, and also the anus which is a thin tube right at the bottom of the tail. This is a great way to cook lobster and keeps all of the flavour in the shell. Serve with some roast garlic mayonnaise and some hand cut chips!

Cooking: 30 – 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 – 2kg Non-oily white fish bones, including head (preferably Turbot)

2 - 4L of cold water

At both restaurants we keep our stocks very simple, but concentrate on using the best ingredients and cooking them properly. The fish stock we make only requires fish bones and water to make, but we use a certain type of fish. We prefer to use Turbot bones whenever possible as this gives a far superior flavour to any stock or sauce, but the next best is Lemon Sole bones. Ask your fish monger for non-oily white fish bones for a stock and they will be able to help you. You want to avoid using oily fish bones (mackerel, salmon) when making this stock as you will end up with a cloudy, oily stock. We do use oily fish to make stocks as well, but for this stock we want a clear, clean stock.

Use the head of the fish which has a lot of flavour. Remove the eyes and gills from the head, and any guts from the fish bones. Give both a rinse under some cold running water for 10 minutes. Put the bones in a large pan and cover with the fresh cold water. Turn on to a high heat and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, and allow the stock to just simmer for 20 minutes, skimming off the layer of fat from the top every 5 minutes. Remove the stock from the heat, and allow to cool with the fish bones still inside. When room temperature, pass the stock through a fine sieve and then again through muslin, refrigerate. This will keep for 3 days in the fridge, or 2 – 3 months in the freezer. When chilled, the fish stock may set a little like jelly, this is normal and because of the gelatine naturally present in the fish bones.

When buying Turbot look for a natural shinny slime coating on the fish, and firm flesh when touched. Avoid buying Turbot with large roes as you will be getting a lot less of the flesh for your money. When buying any fish use your common sense and instinct – If it doesn’t look good, then it probably won’t be.

Because turbot is very expensive, try not to waste any of it. At Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, the livers are used to make a Turbot liver pâté. If you have a good chicken liver pâté recipe simply replace the chicken livers with turbot livers. The livers must be super fresh. Turbot bones make the best fish stock, which is the base of any fantastic fish sauce. By using as much of the fish as possible you make your money go a lot further.

Preparation: 20 Minutes

Cooking: 10 Minutes

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 x 1.5 – 2kg Whole Turbot (wild or farmed)

Rapeseed Oil for cooking

Cornish Sea Salt for seasoning

For the Tartare Sauce

2  Free range egg yolks

1 tspn English Mustard

1 tspn White wine vinegar

300ml Rapeseed oil

15g Capers chopped roughly

15g Gherkins diced

1/2 Juice of 1 Lemon

Fresh Tarragon

Fresh Parsley

1/4 small Lettuce finely sliced

200 ml Fish Stock

For the ‘fish finger’

4 x Turbot goujons from trim when preparing the Turbot

1 Whole Free Range Egg (whisked ready for egg wash)

Plain white flour

Breadcrumbs

Ask your fish monger to fillet and skin the Turbot for you, reserving all the trim, livers and bones for you to use as above. Use the fish bones and head to make the fish stock. Out of the fillets, cut four good sized portions of fish, and use the remaining fish to cut four goujons for the ‘fish fingers’.

For the ‘fish fingers’ take your goujons and roll them through some seasoned white flour, shaking off the excess, dip in the egg wash, then finally roll in the breadcrumbs.

To make the tartare sauce, first make a mayonnaise. Whisk together the egg yolks, mustard, and white wine vinegar. Gradually add the rapeseed oil, constantly whisking, until a thick mayonnaise forms. Add the chopped capers and gherkins, as well as some salt and fresh lemon juice to taste. Place the mayonnaise in to a sauce pan and gradually add the fish stock, until you have a sauce which coats the back of the spoon (single cream consistency). Leave to the side ready to heat.

To cook the ‘fish fingers’ Pre heat 200ml of rapeseed oil in a sauce pan to 160 C. You will need to start this before you start cooking to let it slowly come up to temperature. Make sure you use a large enough sauce pan – the oil should reach no further than a third of the way up the pan.

To cook the turbot fillets heat a large non-stick pan for 1 – 2 mins. Add a small drizzle of oil and place your turbot fillets in the pan. Allow the turbot cook for two minutes on a high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook for another minute. Season the fillets with sea salt and turn to cook on the other side. Season the top and remove the pan from the heat and allow the fillets to continue cooking in the pan. Place your tartare sauce on the heat and gently heat through, be careful not to boil the sauce as this will result in scrambled egg. Gently place your ‘fish fingers’ in to the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted metal spoon and drain on some kitchen paper. Season with sea salt.

When your sauce is heated through add your lettuce and freshly chopped parsley and tarragon and pour a little in the middle of four bowls. Take your fillets of turbot out of the pan and place on top of the sauce. Finish by placing the ‘fish fingers’ on top.

Serve with some lightly fried diced potatoes or even some new potatoes.