Our town was ‘painted pink’ last week, in conjunction with St. Minver Cancer Research Association and as part of this; we were delighted to host a Charity Lunch in Outlaw’s, Rock. True to the theme everything had a pink aspect to it, launching with Cured Salmon canapés and our local sparkling: Pinot Noir Rosé from Camel Valley Vineyards.

Then it was up to the kitchen! Nathan was on hand with his talented team to cook up a menu of Mackerel on Beetroot Bread with Beetroot Salad followed by Read more

A fantastic supplier of cheese at the Restaurants, Thomas started his company in 2006 after recognising that chefs in the commercial market wanted to be able to choose their cheese and products from local farms without leaving their kitchen. His deli-on-wheels service accommodates this need perfectly. With a specially adapted refrigerated van, Thomas is able to open the doors and show us the fantastic range he currently has.

By picking up from all the best producers, Thomas is able to select the best products and pass these on, along with a fantastic knowledge of each one and the people behind it. This personal service Read more

A great bonus to this new chill we are all feeling are the winter fruits that are coming in! In the kitchen this last week we have seen great looking quinces and pears. These two fruits are available in Cornwall from October until early December, making them perfect options for the tasting menu at this time.

The brilliant thing about these fruits is that they preserve really well. This means that if preparing them at home, you can keep them for a good month usually in a sugar syrup (sugar and water) or even better, in mulled wine! The key is to keep them submerged in a sterilised Kilner jar, or similar, to ensure that they do not get oxidised which taints the flavour and allows for spoilage. By preserving them in syrup, a deeper flavour can be achieved, whilst also softening the acidity.

At the restaurant, Read more

In Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, we are all rather excited to have beautiful new bread and dessert plates to add to our cheese ones, all handmade by Chris Prindl. Chris is based in Trebyn Forge, near Lanhydrock in Cornwall where he operates his workshop. The feeling, he says, comes from his childhood and the influence of his apprenticeship in Japan, where he also learnt different firing techniques. While not consciously working to this Japanese style, his “sense of line and strength is quite Eastern”.

The plates at the Restaurant are mostly small and delicate, with such fine porcelain fired in a gas-kiln. However, from our newbread plates, which are sturdier and organic-looking, we get a glimpse into Chris’s more powerful pieces, such as his larger jars made in the workshop and fired in a wood-kiln. As with the food, we feel it is important to know where our vessels are from, additionally showcasing the skills from this fantastic local producer.  And while Chris’s proficiency is shown through the consistency in the plates, it is great to see slight nuances in each one, exposing the individual charm of each piece.

Another month, another supplier jolly. This time Damon, Stephi and I headed for Davidstow Creamery, just north of Camelford. I cannot quite emphasise how much I had been looking forward to this, being the ‘mouse in the house’, as Stephi says. And so, on a gloriously-stunning-Thursday we drove through gorgeous North Cornish countryside to the old RAF aerodrome which has housed a creamery since its conversion in the 1950s, with Dairy Crest taking over in 1979.

We were welcomed and introduced to Chris, the director, and were delighted to see Mark again, the Cheese Grader for Davidstow. With a lengthy involvement and passion for the industry, Mark has been kind enough to speak at our Master Class last year to present his special five year old Crackler cheese to our guests. While his job sounds like a dream to me, it does take a wealth of experience and knowledge to be able to grade each cheese in its different state every four months to monitor how it is maturing, the texture, mouth feel, taste and suitability to their market.

What sets Davidstow apart is Read more

On Monday 22^nd October, Sat Bains and Nathan Outlaw joined together for a wonderful evening of Master Class fun and fantastic food. With four Michelin Stars between them, and another three in the room (Tom Kerridge and Paul Ainsworth joined us for dinner), it was always destined to be a brilliant evening, a rare opportunity to see such talent together.

Travelling down from Nottingham, Sat joined with Nathan to create a menu delivering six courses of stunning British food. To begin the evening, Daphne Skinnard from Radio Cornwall interviewed Nathan and Sat, revealing their commitment to stay true to their ingredients and principles when cooking for guests, and to the industry to help inspire and train of the next generation of chefs.

Nathan went on to demonstrate a scallop ‘tartare tartare’ from scratch with samples all around to nibble, and Sat took on liquid nitrogen to show his duck liver ‘muesli’ dish, encapsulating the flavours to produce a dish that had every element in every bite.

The stunning food went down incredibly with all of our guests – their ‘postcode’ dishes in particular, showcasing very local ingredients to both sites - and a great atmosphere was felt both in the restaurant and kitchen! The evening was topped off with beautiful matching wines by Nathan’s Sommelier, Damon Little, with some unusual wines such as a Corsican Vermentino and Ratafia de Champagne proving a great success. Read more

I can safely say that I now know every inch of the Bodmin to Paddington train line having travelled up and down almost non-stop over the past month!  Of course, the reason for this is the opening of my new restaurant, Outlaw’s at The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge.  As expected, Pete Biggs, who used to head up the S&G kitchen in Rock has everything running smoothly and we have had some lovely letters and e-mails from customers, both those who know us from Rock and those who are new to our simple style of cooking, congratulating us on bringing a little bit of Cornwall into London.  I am very proud of the way both the team at The Capital and my team from Rock have worked together to create a fresh, new dining experience for our London customers.

For some who have visited since we opened, our ethos of letting the very best quality ingredients speak for themselves without fussy cooking and overpowering sauces, has proved a little shocking.  Equally, having front of house staff who actually take time to chat with each guest in a relaxed and welcoming way has baffled some.  There is no doubt that Read more

Chris Simpson is Head Chef in Restaurant Nathan Outlaw. Having worked with Nathan for a number of years, he is the driving force in the kitchen; liaising with suppliers, preparing the fresh produce with the team and running the passe during service. With so much knowledge, it seems only right to share this wonderful information; stay tuned to his blog for updates from the kitchen, handy hints and tips from Chris!

I first met Nathan at the Vineyard in Stockcross nearly 10 years ago and went on to cook with him at his first restaurant, The Black Pig and at The Marina Hotel in Fowey. After spending some time in the Netherlands, I was delighted to come back in 2011 as Head Chef for Restaurant Nathan Outlaw.

Nathan and I have always followed the same ideals when it comes to food – its all about the ingredients and cooking them in a way that shows how brilliant they are! Every day we strive to source and cook the best ingredients possible, working with local suppliers to show what the UK, and Cornwall in particular, produces.

What I love about being in Cornwall, as well as the stunning beaches and personal boating trips is the culture and community; being close to our fishermen and producers. It means we can arrange to see the boats and produce coming into the markets, take our vegetables directly from the person that has grown it and keep up with how the conditions are changing, both on the water and underground, and what effect that has on the raw food. Constructing the tasting menu and preparing the produce with my team is great fun, with daily, and often hourly(!) variation depending largely on mother nature.

The joy of cooking though is that anyone can have a go. It’s always a treat to eat out, and I don’t want you all to be too good at cooking to come back and eat at Restaurant Nathan Outlaw…but there are certain tips that can make life easier and to get the most out of the produce…check here regularly for these!

When the flat and round fish comes in from Looe Market to the kitchen, I always have a good examination of it. This may sound pernickety to do this with every piece every day, but the things I am watching out for to assure quality are the same I recommend looking for when you are buying fish at the fishmongers or supermarket.

Firstly, look for bright eyes, glistening pink gills and a firm texture (give a little prod with a clean hand/over the plastic if you can get away with it!). Also, have a good smell of it – the aroma should be of the sea, not a very ‘fishy’ smell, which is a classic sign of non-fresh fish.

Finally, see where your fish was living when caught! Here at the restaurant, we work closely with our local fisherman to make sure we know where the fish are coming from and that they are sustainably sourced. These days, the ability to tag certain fish when caught is a fantastic scheme through www.linecaught.org.uk, which means with our Sea Bass we can tell exactly which boat they have come in on, who caught it and from which port the boat goes from. You can always ask your fishmonger or if in a shop, look on the packet – sustainability of certain species can vary by area in the UK, but always look for a mark of responsible fishing. The website www.seafish.org is great for further information on the Responsible Fishing Scheme.

The freshest and most sustainable fish is the key to the future of the industry. And for now, a great dinner!!