What a fantastic week we’ve had weather-wise!  It’s been like the middle of summer here in Rock and our guests have been taking advantage of the glorious sunshine by having lunch or a cream tea out on the terrace.  I’ve managed to get out there for a few minutes now and then just to take in the idyllic view and the wonderful, fresh sea air.  Perfect!

On Monday I was in London, altogether a different story.  In the city the warm weather just made things hot and sticky.  However, I was pleased to be there because I was at a master class for winners of competitions sponsored by Davidstow, the cheese makers.  I was able to spend the morning with some lovely people, talking about food and sharing tips whilst we cooked lunch together.  The menu included Davidstow Crackler and Herb Mayonnaise which they hadn’t realised was such a simple recipe.  Not one of them split the mayo – quite a feat – even though I’d like to think it was my tuition that did it!  We followed that with Crab and Crackler Spanish-Style Omelette.  This is a very tasty way to use crab and would be a lovely lunch for a summer day accompanied by Crackler and Rosemary Focaccia, which I also showed them how to make.

I love to see people who are passionate about food and cooking develop their skills.  One of the most satisfying parts of my job is seeing youngsters arrive in the kitchens knowing very little and being able to nurture their interest so that they become accomplished chefs in their own right.  This week, one of them, Tim Barnes, who is working in my fine dining kitchen at present, passed his NVQ level 2 chefs’ qualification and he can now officially call himself a chef.  Tim has worked hard to gain this, cooking in both Outlaw’s, Rock and in Restaurant Nathan Outlaw during his time here.  If you attended any of the festivals where I did demos last year, you probably saw Tim scurrying around in the background doing all my prep for me.  He seems to like doing this and can be relied upon to have everything ready when I need it.  Tim’s passion and flair lead me to predict great things for him in the future.

I am extremely proud of all my apprentices and of the training that we have been able to give them here.  In all, we have ten chefs in the two kitchens, including myself, and seven of those are or have been my apprentices, gaining their qualifications through Cornwall College.  It is extremely important for the industry and for our guests that young chefs are given opportunities to develop their skills and interests and I look forward to seeing them further their careers in the future.

Being a smaller team requires us to be efficient in how we work in the restaurant. In order to make our service run smoothly we really do need to know what each other are doing almost without asking. While communication is the key factor in any industry, when operating a relatively short service it is of particular importance. Consequently, the more we know each other and how we all work, the more we can anticipate each other’s moves and style in the restaurant.

This knowledge of each other primarily comes from spending so much time together. This closeness in our office, kitchen and restaurant gives an opportunity to really become a work-family. This can only come from being happy in our workplace, a quality generated from being respected and empowered, being passionate about the restaurant and also just genuinely liking one another! I don’t think this is limited to being located in this area, but a mutual love of all things Cornish certainly accentuates it. And because it is never ‘just a job’, due to the all-encompassing nature of hospitality and a mutual love of being here, it really does matter who you spend each day with.

As a sub-family in front-of-house, the four of us work closely with one unanimous aim – to make our lovely guests incredibly happy. In order to do this we need to know each other’s nuances and characteristics, with sense of humour also helping – I am powerless when it comes to Stephi’s jokes. In a physical sense it is also very important as, besides the fact it would be slightly less serene, there is just no space in our intimate restaurant to be flinging plates around as we ‘meet’ in the middle. Therefore, a more relaxed version of events involves almost dancing around each other instead, teaming together when required for service. As a result we are prime candidates for synchronised swimming in the Olympics.

Working as one is something that grows through spending more services together, and I think we have all been impressed at how easily Char, as the newest member of our family, has slipped into our rhythm over the past few months. Marvellously, she has picked up incredibly fast not only the requirements of the job, but also a way of knowing what our ambiguous facial expressions and rushed mumblings mean and acting accordingly – sheer talent.

Conversely, I am always impressed that there are so many staff still here who have been part of Nathan’s team for a long time. Damon, Stephi and Chris in the Restaurant, Redas and Pete in Outlaw’s were all in Fowey too; there is a rumour they just can’t be shaken off, but we keep that one quiet. And for all of us that have joined in the three years of being in Rock it means we have been welcomed into a very special and exciting place. I consider myself truly privileged to be working with such wonderfully interesting and knowledgeable people, both in front of house and our kitchen. And as soon as they release ‘Dancing With Plates’ we are there.

March and April is the season for the first wave of good quality crabs of the year and we’ve been presented with some really beautiful specimens this week.  Callum, from Port Isaac, just up the road, is the only crab and lobster fisherman in the country who is part of the Responsible Fishing Scheme.  He works alone, which I imagine could be quite dangerous on occasion, but I am grateful that he does as the catch he makes provides our restaurants with the very best there is available.

On the menu in Restaurant Nathan Outlaw at present, we are using his fantastic crabs in a dish that, despite sounding and looking very simple, has taken four years to perfect!  Crab with Fennel and Apple showcases delightful brown crab, subtly complimented by roasted fennel, pickled fennel, apple and tarragon oil.  Simple cooking ensures that the complex flavours are perfectly balanced. The accompanying sauce is, unusually, made from the much underused velvet crab.  Having eaten the dish one evening last week a guest was prompted to exclaim to Stephi “it is the best dish I have tasted for a very long time”.  That sort of reaction is the reward all chefs crave and makes the enormous amount of time and effort taken to refine a dish to perfection worthwhile.

It might be a surprise to know that, despite only opening in the evenings, my chefs in the fine dining kitchen, Chris, Dan, Dean and Tim, work from around 8am each morning and are on the go all day.  Mornings are spent preparing (‘mise en place’ is the chef’s term for it!) all the ingredients we need for the evening.  From about 4.30pm, the adrenaline begins to kick in as the anticipation of service builds.  The change in atmosphere is definite and even Karen and Sharon behind the scenes in the office, notice it.  However, afternoons are often given over to experimenting.  This is a time when we try new things, add, remove and tweak existing dishes and generally pool ideas and thoughts.  It’s also, funnily enough, the time when people just happen to pass through the kitchen, and strangely we never have a shortage of willing tasters!

This light crisp dry white wine is made from a grape beginning with ‘J’ and for the sake of future quizzes during service; I will refer to this grape as the ‘J’ grape.  Husband and wife team, Gilles and Anna Berlioz, take a hands on approach to producing exceptional small production wine.  They have adopted biodynamic viticulture, so their land is manually ploughed, no chemicals are used in the vineyard and the wine is fermented using natural yeast which is then bottled according to the lunar cycle.

The Domaine was established in 1990 when Gilles converted from landscaper to viticulturist and inherited 0.8 hectares of vines, one constant remained and that was the sound understanding of the regions geology and topography.  This firm understanding allowed him to find the perfect balance between grape and terroir.  These ‘J’ grapes are planted on a steep wind swept hillside; the soil is clay with very high limestone content. This wine is made from grapes handpicked from an average of 80 year old vines.

This particular wine is a great expression of the terroir showing a distinct chalky minerality complimenting the Pacific oyster which has been coated in cuttlefish-ink bread crumbs. I find the flavour of Pacific oysters to be creamier, fruitier and sweeter than the Native species for example, which works harmoniously with the chalky minerality of the wine. The wines’ finish is clean and is not dissimilar to taking a bite into a crisp Granny Smith apple. The acidity cuts through the oyster sauce and enhances the cucumber tea which is infused into the oyster sauce.

Writing this week by the open window with the glorious afternoon sun glistening on the Camel Estuary, flooding our restaurant with the freshest Cornish air and sunbeams, it is difficult to imagine life spent anywhere else. With the fervent buzz of a busy happy kitchen of chefs preparing for another fantastic full restaurant tonight in the background and the distant gleeful chatter from guests on the terrace of Outlaws in Rock, the city and the rat race seem far away. However, with guests arriving at the hotel for special celebrations or just a relaxing break the same pressure is still on to deliver the best possible experience. In this day and age with open kitchens, high profile social media outlets and programs such as MasterChef displaying the foodie world for all to see, that pressure has changed. It has evolved from one on a simple plane of demand and supply into much more.

Apart from our passion for genuinely wanting to give our guests an evening they will love from start to finish, from a technical point of view, everybody in our restaurant is now very wise! By this, I mean that they can be extremely well-informed with regards to food and service, with educated questions into specific elements of our dishes. Whereas once it was a more mysterious aspect of dining with an almost secretive barrier between the kitchen and the restaurant, now, due to our culture and the media, there is no place for this as the customer’s deep interest, knowledge and need for communication takes over. These days our guests are very aware of cooking techniques, flavour combinations and are presenting a demand for traceable local produce. And so they should be.

While this has always been a natural choice for Nathan, this wish from guests is also great for us in front-of-house. This is partly because we are such a small team and we live between our inspiring kitchen and adjoining office so there is constant excitement of the kitchen activity and continuous involvement in the menu evolution. As it is a way of life for us, it makes perfect sense to display it proudly on our menu and describe it clearly; away from any pretence that could distract our guests from enjoying what is on their dish and in their glass.

I feel it is more important than ever to know our produce, know our dishes and be ready if desired because as well as the fact there is no fooling our customers, we really are so proud to serve such delights. We find this evolved pressure no hardship at all when we all posses such an ardent love of Nathan and the team’s beautiful food; it merely adds to the joy to be able to share it with our very clever guests.

Having said this, no matter what the level of awareness, it is difficult to ignore the natural magic in the air that comes from the sheer genius of what our chefs produce in flavours and in Damon’s incredible ability to make wines feel like they were ‘born’ to accompany that dish.  I believe our culture involving delicious food and restaurants is a great part of our heritage, a feeling accentuated in Cornwall where you can almost see your dinner swimming past the window, with a simple aim to do the wonderful fish and accompaniments justice.

Last week I was in London to record a number of interviews for radio in conjunction with Davidstow, the cheese makers (and have lunch at Hix, Soho, always a good reason to visit London!).  It surprised me that so many people were curious about St. Piran and how he is celebrated here, in Cornwall.  I forget sometimes, because I am so used to it, how steeped in history and legend Cornwall is, so I was happy to re-tell the story and chat about how important keeping those traditions alive it to us here.  It was also a great opportunity to promote all things Cornish, especially the fantastic range of local produce I am able to work with.

Before I caught the train up, I was fortunate enough to have lunch at the Seahorse in Dartmouth (I know that’s just over the border!) where my family and I were greeted warmly by Mitch Tonks, as usual.  Lunch was delicious and showcased the wonderful seafood we have around the South West coastline and the respect with which Mitch treats it.

Keeping to the theme of the South West’s bounty, our latest venture is to try growing some produce for ourselves.  Nothing too big but my dad has been banging on for years about how great it is to cook what you grow yourself, so we thought we’d give it a try.  Danny, who can turn his hand to almost anything, has been out digging over the little patch we’ve acquired and it’s been quite exciting choosing what we’re going to grow and buying in seeds. Dad is in Kent, where a hosepipe ban has just been declared – a nightmare for growers and farmers, let alone gardeners.  However, we will wait and see whether the Cornish weather is kind enough for our crop to grow!  Fingers crossed!

I consider ourselves to be in a very fortunate location being only 12,5 miles from Camel Valley Vineyards, amongst other reasons of course!  One of my favourite sparkling wines is the 2008 White Pinot Noir Brut which offers a  generous amount of delicate red and stone fruit which is balanced by the savoury yeastiness inherited by the 3 and a half years in contact with its lees.  That’s an awfully long time to be patient, but then again it is a virtue!  The outcome is a well deserved gold medallist sparkling wine which has also retained its refreshing acidity.

That is one of the reasons it compliments Nathan’s ‘Soused Mackerel with Jerusalem Artichoke’ dish so well.  If you are not familiar with the process of sousing, it’s a form of pickling, but by adding heat to the pickling ‘marinade’.  This allows the possibility of being able to infuse flavours into the pickling liquid, in this case; saffron, bay leaf and star anise.  This is done in a magically balanced way, so in order to not ruin this harmonious dish I have matched the acidity of the wine to the acidity of the jerusalem artichoke which allows the pleasant subtle yeastiness and refined fruit to compliment the mackerel… Local fish with locally-made wine by who I consider both as being masters of their trades, what more could I ask for?

I have recently discovered an interesting white wine made from an unusual grape called Koshu, believed to have been introduced to Japan from Caucasus 1280 years ago via the Silk Road. The Yamanashi Wine Company, established in 1913, can be found in the Kofu Basin at the base of Mount Fuji. Koshu is now considered the Native grape of Japan.

It was an honour to meet the President of the Yamanashi Wine Company, Takahiko Nozawa, who makes the lovely Sol Lucet Koshu.  I am currently pairing their 2010 vintage, which was fermented using yeast from Burgundy, with Brill Tartare and Fine Herbs. The wine enhances the delicate brill flavour because of the very distinct ‘Basalt-ash’ minerality from the volcanic soils of Mount Fuji.  The finish is rather interesting, with characteristics of a local citrus called Yuzu.  Yuzu is a new flavour to me so after tasting this wine I find it to be neither orange nor lemon. The flavour which is pleasantly unique and perhaps a complex combination of citrus! The Yamanashi Wine Company make only 2800 bottles of Sol Lucet Koshu of which 1000 bottles are exported, giving even more reason to try this wonderful wine.

Whilst out on a jolly on Monday, I was fortunate enough to walk out into the sunshine in Truro and find myself in the middle of my first St. Piran’s Day parade with the local schools, corporations and officials joined together to progress to the beautiful Cathedral to celebrate the county’s heritage in a procession of Cornish spirit. I was enraptured to see the large amount of support involved in keeping the tradition alive, celebrating the Patron Saint of Tin Miners, with activities also organised all over the rest of Cornwall for the occasion. This experience stirred a proud and happy feeling of patriotism, and while this was a slightly fraudulent emotion having only been a North Coast resident for a couple of years, I make up for this technicality by immersing myself in everything Cornish and genuinely considering myself very lucky to be part of such a lovely culture.

This county’s unique personality is homemade from many communities networked together within the 296 miles of stunning coastline, each with a friendliness and passion to welcome anyone to the area, whether its for relaxing holiday or to permanently build a life here. Everyone seems to possess a unanimous homing-pigeon gene, whereby being anywhere else in the world can be blissful, but that knowing smile will always creep out when passing the sign on the border into Cornwall.

And all this love, without even mentioning the produce – a new record for me! At the restaurant, Cornish produce is something we are proud to showcase, altering it only with the purpose of bringing out and marrying natural flavours. In 2011, we were greeted with our lovely produce weeks early, due to the gorgeous Cornish weather and growing conditions, causing our guests to look incredulously at our menu. Aside from the fish, which is known nationwide for its quality and freshness, we are now greatly looking forward to our seasonal fruit and vegetables this year.

As we head into spring our local greens and baby vegetables are blooming, taking us into St. Enodoc asparagus and gooseberry season (a favourite of mine), then onto the heaven that is the local sweet summer fruit. At the moment we are also experiencing the excitement of our kitchen garden in Porthilly getting underway; as Danny lovingly turns the soil by hand we sow the first seeds and look forward to our very local Nathan Outlaw garden produce.

With all this beauty and the mouth-watering dishes before you it really is futile trying to put Cornwall on the back burner, instead come and share it with us now while the beauty is flourishing and serenity fills the fresh Cornish air!

Welcome back!

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!