Our head chef Adam Clark has been foraging on the cliff top outside the hotel again and this time he’s been harvesting rock samphire.
The name samphire comes ‘sampierre’ or ‘herbe de St. Pierre’, the herb of the fisherman’s saint. It can be used in salads or cooked as a vegetable.
Rich in omega-3 oils, anti-oxidants, vitamin C and minerals, rock samphire oil is popular in anti-ageing cosmetics. In traditional folk medicine, it was used to help weight loss and was a popular vegetable in Shakespeare’s time. In King Lear, Shakespeare refers to the dangerous practice of collecting rock samphire from cliffs: “Half-way down / Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!”
The flavour of rock samphire is distinctive and quite a delicacy and should be cooked to bring out the best flavour. Don’t try it raw – you won’t like it!
Adam said: “When I was first tried it, I have to say I was not really a fan. I found the flavour a little strange.
“That, however, did not put me off foraging some for myself.
“In search of a solution to the strange flavour problem, I found a recipe for pickling it and that seems to be the best way to deal with this plant.
“Apparently, in Mallorca rock samphire is sold in every supermarket, pickled in jars. The locals adore it and eat it for breakfast!
“Maybe we should include it as part of our Cornish breakfast.”
The taste of summer
This is our new BBQ being fired up for the first time – a little taster of what our guests have to look forward too.
Ox eye daisies
Look what we have right here on our doorstep. This photo was taken just outside the hotel. We use the leaves on salads. It makes a lovely interesting salad leaf, you can eat the closed buds, and the petals are great sprinkled over salads. They have a lovely fragrance and flavour to them. The leaves can be tough, so pick young fresh ones.
Yesterday our chef Adam got really excited while out walking with his family. Not only did he find a bountiful supply of sea purslane, he got his first glimpse of local marsh samphire, or sea asparagus.
The season is just beginning, so the purslane and samphire is still young, but there’s plenty of it, so our menus will feature them heavily over the next few weeks as one of our seashore vegetables served with different species of local best market fish.
Young plants can be eaten raw, but older ones should be cooked in boiling unsalted water. You can also fold them into an omelet, toss in salads or deep fry for a snack.
Ever wondered what gorse-flavoured icecream would taste like? We did, so we went foraging for some on the cliff overlooking Mawgan Porth beach.
While we were there picking gorse flowers and lapping up the view, we spotted a smiley face someone had drawn in the sand and that seemed to sum things up here at Bedruthan.
Gorse flowers have a unique scent and flavour that really comes through in icecream. Our chef Adam Clark dried the flowers overnight, then infused them into an icecream base. The result was a banana and coconut-like flavour. He served it with spiced pineapple tart.
Adam also found some three cornered garlic, which is different to wild garlic (Ramsons. The stalks give a lovely garlicky chive flavour and the flowers are bursting little buds of garlic just delicious on salads or, as we used them on Saturday night, to garnish our spring chickens.
This morning chef has been foraging down at the cliff path again and found some beautiful sea Purslane .
Purslane is an excellent seashore vegetable that we are really lucky to find on the cliffs around here. It is usually found growing on salt marshes below the high tide mark and especially fringing channels and pools in salt marshes.
Now we’re really looking forward to our lunch! Chef’s been telling us how these leaves have a very interesting flavour and are excellent either just raw through salads, or quickly blanched in boiling water then served with butter, parsley, lemon juice and seasoning. Yummy.
Another great tip from chef, although not food related this time! He has been back to his youth on a 2hr BMX ride!
“It was brilliant! It was an adrenalin rush. I experienced a range of terrain, most of which is off road bridleways, farm tracks, back lanes, byways and woodland single track. The circular route (between 10 and 25km) twists and turns around scenic countryside and whilst riding I got to see many traditional tin mines as we rode in and around areas such as witches woods, the disused quarries and Mars! It was called Mars because of the terrain and the water in the disused quarry is deep red!
It started over in Scorrier, near Truro and took me through all the Countryside near St.Day and Caharrick, the Bissoe trail ran nearby which is a bit like the Camel trail – handy for those that would like an easier cycle!”
The bike ride was organised with Mobius and is a great way to see some Cornish countryside. It certainly left me feeling exhilarated!
We’re perfectly placed here on the coast to forage the best seaside veg Cornwall has to offer. Infact I think we need to spare a thought for Paul the barman who looked up from the beach to see Chef hanging from the clif! But for the benefit of our guests, he has been returning with some fresh sea beet, ramsons (or wild garlic) and Alexander’s. Amongst other dishes, guests have enjoyed an amazing Braised shin of beef with a nettle and ramson risotto. For those of you who can go yourselves, Sea beet is bang on season and can be found around the cliffs; it cooks like spinach and chef has been using it with fish and other seaside veg. Ramson’s are nearing the end of their season as they are starting to flower but can still be used, like us, in risotto’s, soup and as a garnish. If you find Alexanders, chef’s tip is to blanch the stems for a good 10 minutes, ensuring the strong tough taste is replaced with something soft and angelic.
Pancakes stuffed with seabeet:
Large bunch of seabeet
150g Cheddar Cheese (grated)
2 peeled tomatoes
Salt & pepper
Wash the sea beet and pull the leaves from the stems. Cook for 10 minutes in a sealed pan, drain and chop. When cool, mix together with the grated cheese, salt and pepper. Peel the tomatoes and slice. Use the filling to stuff in cooked pancakes. (Make sure you wrap the mixture up well by putting the filling in the middle of the pancake and folding two facing edges over and tucking the remaining two underneath). Heat for a couple of mins each side before serving. Delicious!
We’re pleased to announce that following a visit from an AA inspector, our 4 star rating has increased to 76%!
Our chef Adam Clark can’t stop cooking even when he’s left the kitchen. He spent his weekend roasting, drizzling and seasoning in a marquee in St Austell when he dished up a cookery demonstration to visitors to the local farmers market.
“It was a bit challenging,” said Adam. “All I had was two burners and a table top to work with, but the crowd were really good. They came up with some good banter and asked some really good questions.”
Adam’s emphasis was – as ever – on local and seasonal produce. Adam foraged mussels* from Mawgan Porth beach for the event and also prepared Fresh Mackerel with Roasted Rhubarb followed by Celery Cornish Blue Cheese and Pickled Walnut Salad.
Happy Birthday to Adam, who celebrated his 41st birthday last Friday with a trip to The Ferry Boat Inn in Mawnan Smith to suprise his old chef, the magnificent Mark Hix who was guest chef at The Ferry Boat for the evening.
Mark is a renowned restaurateur and food writer who has become widely known for his pioneering role in reviving interest in British gastronomy. His unrivalled passion in sourcing and cooking with great British ingredients has inspired chefs across the country, Adam included.
“I used to work with Mark and saw in the Cornish Guardian that he was coming down,” said Adam. “Mark is one of my inspirations and mentors. He’s all about good, British, seasonal food, which is everything The Bedruthan Steps Hotel is about too.”
*Please note that the season for foraging for mussels safely (September to April) is coming to a close.
Our chef Adam Clark will be roasting, drizzling and seasoning away this weekend when he dishes up a cookery demonstration at St Austell’s Farmers Market.
The emphasis is on local and seasonal produce; Adam will prepare:
Fresh Mackerel with Roasted Rhubarb
Celery Cornish Blue Cheese and Pickled Walnut Salad
Pavlova with Roasted Rhubarb Fool.
Yummeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
New Year at Bedruthan was just like a house party – a whole load of families and couples in the hotel having a great time and joining in with lots of fun activities.
There was something for everyone to get involved in; the children especially enjoyed the puppet show, a huge game of hide and seek and most of all getting stuck into making sweets with Head Chef Adam, Mandy and Suzie. To celebrate New Year the children enjoyed a fancy dress party with a special guest appearance from the one and only Bedster Bunny and a few of his furry friends. The Newman family fedback; ‘the creche/ children’s club staff were just great…this has been the best New Years we’ve had as a family in a long time!’.
Adults enjoyed a giggle with fantastic comedian Johnny Cowling. There was high praise for our Indigo Bay restaurant from the Keys family; ‘Great food, lots of choice and always served up with genuine warmth and friendliness…(Bedruthan) offers such a great family experience.’
We were pleased to see the families getting to know each other during the various activities and meal times – the Goldburn family mentioned; ‘the table arrangement on New Years Eve, where we joined a table of 8, resulted in making new friends.’ A huge thank you to all the Bedruthan guests and staff who made the New Year celebration such a huge success – may 2010 be your best year yet!
