From the land
As you might expect from a former Simon Rogan staffer, Mark Birchall uses shoots, leaves and funghi – some foraged, some nurtured – with a judicious brilliance. At Moor Hall in Ormskirk, he adds anise hyssop to a crab and turnip broth and hen of the woods to Westmorland chicken with kale in ham fat and whey cream. There’s a lot of hay, too.
At The Whitebrook in Monmouthshire, wild things are a way to reflect the bounty of the Wye Valley. Hogweed and hedgerow pickings are paired with the local asparagus and charlock, regarded as a weed in some circles, brings a sharp, mustardy note to crab dishes.
From the seashore
Beach pickings aren’t just for the well to-do. On a village high street near Stockton-On-Tees, laid-back Café Lilli uses heat and butter to impart a velvety texture to sea vegetables served with simple pan-seared fish.
At The Whitehouse in Lochaline, the presence of the sea is fabulously inescapable. Scallops with seashore butter are a great way to taste it.
Niall Keating, recently installed at Whatley Manor, makes a seaweed mignonette to serve with oysters – a brilliantly simple idea.
