Retro Cooks. Clarissa Dickson Wright.

This is my last offering in the series of Retro Cooks that I have featured in Flavour Magazine.
They say always save the best until last, so I have.
Here she is , my personal favourite, Clarissa Dickson Wright.

RETRO COOKS – CLARISSA DICKSON WRIGHT.

We end our series on retro cooks with a true Titan of food – Clarissa Dickson Wright.
Her arrival on our TV screens in 1994 gave the foodie world a real jolt. Along with fellow Fat Lady, Jennifer Patterson, they resembled a comedy act. She is coincidentally the cousin of the comedian Alexander Armstrong.
Their repartee during the shows raised many a smile whilst they regaled us with a myriad of culinary anecdotes, whilst the Health and Safety Commission threw their hands in horror at Jennifer’s long painted nails clawing into the food they were preparing. Such was their controversial approach, they were once described as “Being able to spread butter on bread and make it look like pornography” In fact, the fashionable expression “food porn” was no doubt spawned from that very quote. The food was great, the vintage motorbike and side car became their hallmark, and the rest as they say is history.

It is hard to write anything about this great lady without some reference to her earlier life. She had a troubled childhood, a violent father and she succumbed to alcoholism, which ate into many years of her life. Her recent autobiography Spilling The Beans is a poignant account of these darker times.
She also charts her path to fame through the Fat Ladies series, and gives the tale a Happy Ever After feel.

Probably one of the most knowledgeable person in the UK on the subject of food, she has become almost a living food encyclopaedia, as recently seen on the Channel Four series The Big Food Quiz. She has been commissioned by Random House Books to produce a major work entitled The History Of English Food which is to be published in 2011.

She adeptly presented a programme on the oldest British cookery book, The Forme of Cury, written during the reign of Richard the second, where she ably demonstrated that in the foodiesphere, there is nothing new under the sun. She prepared goose with fruit, and stewed pars in red wine using a fully restored mediaeval kitchen for the programme, illustrating she is not one to shy away from a challenge.
She has been an overt champion of the Countryside Alliance, fully supporting hunting and its associated activities, whilst lucidly putting forward the pro hunting argument.
She is a member of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, one of very few female members, an honour she holds with the Princess Royal. She, along with her friend Sir Johnny Scott drove a flock of sheep over one of London’s bridges, exercising her ancient right to do so as a member.
Indeed she has appeared with Sir Johnny in the BBC series Clarissa and the Countryman, where she yet again turned out some stunning dishes prepared with Mother Nature’s bounty, very often for her appreciative hosts.
Her cooking style has a very traditional approach to her cooking, very often producing regional specialities, or dishes with an honourable history to them. Her cookery works reflect this. Hers is not the flashy, stir frying televisual celebrity cooking – she has a more austere, Aga simmering oven approach to food, giving it a lasting quality and provenance.

Fast food she is not, slow food she most unquestioningly is.
Whilst sadly some our cooks in this series are no longer with us, Clarissa remains solidly and boldly
elbowing her determined way through the sea of controversy in the food industry, never fearing to say her peace and having little regard for tender egos and the utmost indifference towards charlatans Good on her. Long may she continue!

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall – Everyday.

Quality is a word synonymous with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, whether it be standards of the meat we eat, the vegetables we buy and grow or the books he writes.
To date they have been weighty tomes, leaving doubt that he may be running short on ideas.
Not so, as this book is crammed full of new ideas.
He is cost sensitive, and devotes a chapter to thrifty meat recipes, producing some enticing ideas.
Leftovers also get an airing, as waste becomes less appealing to more and more of us.
The are some thorough explanations, for more complex dishes, like sourdough bread. Even a novice will feel happy giving it a whirl.
Photographed with the evocative River Cottage feel, it has some quirky illustrations to give a fun approach for the whole family to enjoy.

Confit de Canard

It’s that time of year. We have finally parted company with the warm October sun, and awoken to high winds and heavy rains. It had to happen, we just hope it won’t.
As ever our minds turn to comfort food, and stocking the larder for the colder months to come.
I have spent a quiet weekend doing just that, and confit de canard was the first thing to be prepared.
It takes about two days from start to finish, and on day one I salted my duck portions with sea salt and stored them in the fridge for 24 hours.
This morning I rinsed off the salt and let the portions soak in water for about half an hour to get rid of any lingering salt on them.
I placed the pieces of duck into a deep roasting tin and poured over some melted duck fat ( I used some goose fat as well) I then added some cloves of crushed garlic, whole white peppercorns a few fresh bay leaves and coriander seeds. The fat was half way up the side of the duck pieces. If you add any more, as the fat on the duck itself renders down, you will end up with it brimming to the top and the inevitable spillages in the oven.
The duck was cooked in a moderate oven and turned from time to time for approximately three hours. The test is to see if the meat starts to fall off the bone – if it doesn’t, then give it a little longer – remember that the meat is not roasting, more stewing in its own juices.
Finally, take out the pieces of duck and place in a storage bowl. Strain the fat through a fine sieve to get rid of the debris, then finally pour over the meat until it is fully covered – don’t worry if the odd bit is above the level of the fat, just make sure it has had a coating of fat on it before going into the fridge.
Let the meat mature for 3-4 weeks before serving – it is certainly worth the wait.
To serve, melt the fat slowly around the confit so that each piece can be taken out and put on a roasting tray. To serve heat through in an oven allowing the skin to brown gently to give a crispy finish. The fat can be used for roast vegetables.

What Do You Feed A Man Who Is Cycling Through France?

We have a last minute guest this weekend. Justin Walsh Newton is on a sponsored bike ride through France and back again. Brave Lad.
He is doing it for a good cause – The British Heart Foundation.
With the cause in mind and to ensure he is fighting fit to cycle onwards, I am pondering what I should feed him. Nothing too heavy, but nutritious at the same time.
I think I will go with a chicken dish, with some carbs thrown in for energy.
I’ll pass on my dinner party special of profiterole gateau – the speciality of the local patisserie.
Either way, I hope we can do something positive to speed him on his way.
You can donate to the cause by visiting his blog Just Blogging.
Please donate something to boost the British Heart Foundation’s Coffers.

October’s Retro Cook. Madhur Jaffrey.

Amongst the legion of celebrity chefs, old and new, there must have been one or two who had a touch of stage fright at the thought of appearing in front of the TV cameras.
Not so with this month’s retro chef, Madhur Jaffrey.

She is our only retro chef to date who was an established actress well before she prepared so much as a samosa in front of her foodie audience.

Indeed, she came to the UK from Delhi when she was just nineteen to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music and Drama. It is said that until that point she could not cook.
However, as all students do, they learn to cook to survive, and she was no exception. Her need turned into a love of food, which she was to carry with her to the present day.

After graduation, she took to writing food articles as a means to generate an income with a growing family, alongside her acting career. Whilst this is not a film review,it would not be fair to skim over her prestigious acting career, without mentioning some of her achievements.

She was bestowed the Best Actress Award from the Berlin Film Festival in 1965 for her performance in Shakespeare Wallah, the Muse Award presented by New York Women in Film & Television in 2000, and an Honorary CBE awarded on 11 October 2004,
“In recognition of her services to cultural relations between the United Kingdom, India and the United States, through her achievements in film, television and cookery”.

Nonetheless, her knowledge as a cookery writer is what the foodie community associate with her name, so on with the show as it were.
Her arrival on the cooking was back in 1974 with the publication of her book “An Invitation To Indian Cooking”
It could not have been more timely.
Most of us had by then acquainted ourselves with the up and coming community of Asian restaurants that were tempting us with a spicy point of difference with their exotic fare.
It is probably no exaggeration to say that other than that, we had all bought dubious tins labelled “curry powder”, that when opened revealed a lurid orange melange of spices, clearly laced with an excess of turmeric and chilli powder.
This, when taken to the home kitchen was added very much like dried herbs, straight into a mixture of meat, onions, dried garlic flakes, stock, tomatoes, and the ubiquitous sultanas,banana, or tinned pineapple, depending what was to hand.
As our knowledge has increased, thanks to the wisdom of Madhur, we have learned that in its raw state, curry spices can taste acrid and thoroughly unpleasant.
She coached us through the gentle frying of spices along with garlic and onions until they mellowed to impart their subtly differing notes.
As with all things worth showcasing, the BBC were soon to pick her for a cookery show entitled Indian Cookery in 1982.

She had us dashing hither and thither sourcing new and exotic ingredients, and gaily tossing our tins of dubious curry powder into the kitchen bin.
We learned to blend garam masala, clarify butter to make ghee, and that spices could be used whole, roasted and ground at home.

Thickening sauces was no longer the domain of a packet of cornflour, but the use of yoghurt, ground onions and garlic. Coconut both grated and its milk were not confined to the dessert recipe, but were used to sweeten and contrast with the heat of the chilli and pepper in the dish.

We gradually awakened to another realisation: Our visits to to local Indian restaurant was not the food she was creating. Although perfectly enjoyable (notwithstanding the numerous pints some of may have supped prior to getting there) hers was the real deal – authentic Indian cuisine. It was a fine thing indeed.
Such was her popularity, that she has written nigh on thirty books to delight and tempt our taste buds. She has made us more adventurous with our tastes, and we have taken in her style of cooking as our own.
I don’t think she needs any more praise than that. It is the ultimate compliment.

A Selection of Madhur’s Books.

Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery

This was her book that accompanied the BBC series in 1982. It deals with the grass roots of Indian cookery, taking the reader stage by stage through the nuances and ritual of this rich cuisine. The amateur cook turns alchemist in his own kitchen following her guides to blend the perfect mix of spices for each dish. An excellent primer for a cook new to this cuisine.

For those of us who like to gaze at the finished article, the book is also available in an illustrated format, which was published at a later date.

The Essential Madhur Jaffrey.
This is for the cook who wants a flavour of this cook. It gathers together a collection of her favourite recipes. It ranges from simple, quick to prepare meals to elaborate dinner party entertaining. It also encompasses a number of regional cuisines in one volume.

Eastern Vegetarian Cooking.
In this excellent work, she widens her horizons, and gathers together a stunning array of vegetarian delights from many countries. More of a reference work,, with no illustrations, it is a bible for Asian non meat delights.

Supper For A Song – Tamasin Day Lewis.

Published by Quadrille. (2009)
I look forward to browsing books from authors who are absent from my extensive library. Tamasin Day Lewis is one such food writer, so the chance to review her book was an attractive prospect.
I need to come clean here. I filched the book from my daughter and used the five hundred miles that we live apart as an excuse not to return it, quoting that age-old chestnut about possession being nine tenths of the law.
It has since disappeared twice from my desk, as both my mother and sister have borrowed it and enthused about its contents, basing their desire not to return it promptly on the fact they were both cooking from it at the same time. It was somewhat reminiscent of sharing a hymn book at Sunday School.
Levity to one side, I was slightly wary because of the title. Thrift, economy, frugal, cheap, and even austerity are emblazoned on some of my collection. I didn’t really want the wheel re-invented yet again.
I should have known better.
She has prepared a feast for us to gaze upon in awe, whilst keeping to no nonsense ingredients, savvy shopping and spending a bit of time in the kitchen.
It doesn’t seem so long ago that Mrs Smith had us running to the supermarket buying every convenience food on offer. Tamasin bypasses this unnecessary step and focuses on good quality ingredients and fail safe recipes for us to follow.
Yes, she does does talk about buying in season, but when you see her fabulous White Chocolate and Raspberry Truffles, the well chewed mantra makes so much sense. Food is cheaper when there’s a lot of it around, and you get something really special from your cooking efforts.
It is all too easy to talk superlatives about a cook book you appreciate,but I will quote my Mum who very succinctly reviewed the book.
“I am going to buy my own copy, as I want to cook everything in there”. Praise indeed from someone who has been around the culinary block once or twice.’
An excellent buy, with pearls of wisdom on every page, and damn fine tucker to boot!

Keith Floyd.

I was saddened by today’s news that Keith Floyd has died. He was a favourite of so many of us and an icon of foodie eccentricity.
I wrote an article about him earlier this year for Flavour Magazine.
I hope it does him justice.

“In today’s culinary environment, I am retro. If I’ve influenced people, I never set out to. I just wanted to bring real food to people and show them where it came from and why.”

There are many images that spring to mind when Keith Floyd’s name is mentioned: The eponymous Panama hat, a bow tie, breathtaking scenery, camp style open air kitchens and a generous glass of red wine.
Indeed, the book entitled “ A Splash and a Dash” epitomised his style of cooking that so often contained wine or the like , ever enhancing the delights he produced in front of the TV cameras.
He is considered the visionary that helped create the celebrity chef phenomenon, and was once heard to say:
“Cooks on television could be as famous as rock musicians and racing drivers.” How prophetic. How very true.

A son of the West Country, he was educated at Wellington School in Somerset and had strong connections with Bristol. He worked as a reporter for the Bristol Evening Post, as a radio chef for Radio West and owned a number of Bristol based restaurants at various times. After a bit of digging, I discovered there was one located in the heart of Clifton, and another located on Chandos Road, not far from the BBC television studios. Early shoots of a career that would bring him international fame.

His television persona exuded a flamboyancy yet unseen on British screens. The viewing public were more accustomed to heavily scripted studio cooking show with the likes of a young Delia Smith and the infamous Fanny Craddock.
He took the cooking to the very epicentre of its origin, allowing local produce and stunning backdrops to light up his culinary offerings – in short, the cookery show become a theatrical performance with props, performance and occasional hiccups and of course generous gulps of red wine. Real food cooked by a larger than life cook who was confident and oozed the je ne sais quoi that made him an icon.

In his early television career he worked with David Pritchard, who produced the early Floyd cookery shows. In his book on Floyd published earlier this year entitled “Shooting the Cook” he describes his screen presence as laced with volatility, and a mix between Richard Burton and Peter O’ Toole with “ a sixty a day voice”.
Whilst Pritchard was in at the start of the Floyd phenomenon, dutifully recounted in his book, they were eventually to go their separate ways, due to differences, either artistic, culinary or otherwise. They were not to meet again for sixteen years.

So what exactly launched Keith Floyd into the culinary TV arena? His first series was “Floyd on Fish”, initially broadcast in the South West, but soon went on to national screening. We almost take for granted today, the “book to accompany the series”, but it was from these shows that this genre of food writing was spawned. An ideal culinary marriage: Televisual and culinary prowess to entertain and a cookery book to recreate the dishes prepared with panache and verve so typical of the Floyd delivery.

His series were to be the basis of several books from that point, and are still seen on mainstream television. Saturday Cooks very often show Keith Floyd in action and his style is still not out of kilter with today’s chefs who appear on the show. Timeless showmanship par excellence.

His books go so much further than to provide the reader with recipes. He pens a faithfully the narrative experience of the whole. In Floyd on Fish, you can smell the sea, and perceive the taste of the oysters picked fresh by him from their beds. In Floyd on Spain he evokes the power of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in the butifarra sausages he cooks.

The cookery book morphs into food writing proper in his hands. His descriptions evoke the very essence of the food and the people who prepare it. It has a distinctive sense of time and place. Indeed, his opening quote illustrates his vision of the pivotal role of the chef in today’s world of Celebrity. His shows have taken him to the four corners of the globe to include India, Thailand, Australia and the U.S.A. He was considerate enough to tour around the British Isles and produced a fine work on the cuisine we have to boast about on on our shores.

Today he lives near Avignon in France, and owns a restaurant in the Burasiri resort in Phuket. He continues to do his One Man Shows in theatres around the UK and is still delighting his audience with the Floyd magic. He has a huge fan following who flock to these performances to see him in action. They get a complimentary glass of red wine plus a booklet of some of his signature dishes. He is pressed to autograph tattered and gravy stained copies of the books his fans have used and cherished for years, and for that, I raise my glass to him.

BOOK REVIEWS.
Keith Floyd produces so many first class books, it is difficult to choose the best among them. My advice is simple: If you get the chance, buy any of them. I have even picked up a recipe booklet he produced for Andrex , a real collector’s item, and ideal reading for the smallest room in the house!
However, here are a few highlights, amongst the many jewels.

Floyd’s Fjord Fiesta.
A delightful book which provides a valuable resource on the lesser known Scandinavian cuisine. He prepares food at Kronborg Castle, the setting for Hamlet, bores ice holes to fish, herds reindeer and rides a dog sledge. The photography is stunning, both of the food and the icebergs.

Floyd on France
One of his earlier books, he here demystifies the Dark Art of French cuisine and turns it into an accessible medium for us, the home cook to follow. The dishes are defined by region, and capture the flavours and specialities of each place. There is an excellent chapter on preserved dishes, which still today form the backbone of rural French cooking today.

A Feast of Floyd.
A wonderful compendium of dishes that take us through his childhood favourites and to distant lands and tastes. It is peppered with scribblings in his own handwriting that offers little jewels of advice, which more than make up for the dearth of colour plates.

Floyd on Britain and Ireland.
His opening chapter of the book reassures us that British Cooking is alive and well. In the eighties when it was written, British cooking was not at the cutting edge as it is today. Floyd however, confidently asserts that it has a real identity with many a proud and scrumptious dish. Staple favourites appear alongside more eclectic dishes, such as Heather Honey and Whisky Ice Cream and Welsh Salt Duck with Laverbread.

Antonio Carluccio’s Simple Cooking.

Finding a new approach for a cookery writer can’t be easy, even if you have a well established repertoire like Antonio Carluccio.
Most of us will have at least one of his books on our kitchen shelves, and he must know that.
However, he has hit home with his latest book, Simple Cooking (Quadrille 2009)
Why?
Because he has centred his game on skilfully de-constructing his favourite recipes to make them easy and accessible to cooks of all levels.
I seriously doubt that many full time working parents jauntily grab a cookbook off the shelf on a week night to create a culinary delight for a hungry family.
From experience, evening meals can be frenetic, unmanaged affairs, often with disappointing results.
Carluccio has scored by keeping the recipe methods uncomplicated and his ingredients list brief.
Many of the recipes have a mere half dozen ingredients, many of which will be hiding in the kitchen cupboards.
It is possible to keep a whole recipe in your head whilst whizzing around the supermarket en route to the house and cook up a storm when you get there.
His second salvo is the emphasis on vegetables in the recipes, ensuring the five a day quota has half a chance of being reached
His hints on leftovers, alternatives and making things special are well placed on the page to augment the possibilities the book has to offer.
His final hit is that of thrift.
He advises on the staples for the larder and offers some versatile meals that can be prepared on a budget.
No bad thing these days.
It is difficult to choose my favourites, but if pressed I would go for the Chicken Baked with Rosemary and Garlic, Baked Courgettes with Tomato and Taleggio, Risotto with Mushrooms and the amazing Soup of Spare Ribs and Chickpeas.
As I cook my way through, I am confident that the favourites list will grow ever longer.

Retro Chef – Robert Carrier.

RETRO COOKS ROBERT CARRIER.

“Famous long before the term Celebrity Chef was coined, Robert Carrier epitomised fine dining in 1970’s Britain. His restaurants, cookbooks and television programmes put truffles, brandy saffron and spatchcock into the lexicon of many people still shaking off the memory of lumpy gravy, tinned fruit and food stamps” – The Times June 28th 2006.

By way of introduction, Robert Carrier owes the distinct honour of being the author of the first ever cookery book I owned. I received a copy of Cooking for You as an eighteenth birthday present from a group of my school friends who seemed a little puzzled that I didn’t want a pair of gold hoop earrings instead. I had other designs.
I had been brought up in a family where cooking was at the very epicentre of what we lived for. Both my father and mother were keen cooks and had striven over the years to educate our palates with exciting dishes that were far from the norm in a South Wales valleys village. Despite the fact that so many ingredients were hard to come by, my parents remained undaunted and sourced from afar what was both unavailable and unheard of at our local grocers. Chicken Marengo, boeuf stroganoff , goulash, curries and the like were everyday fare at home, whilst meat and two veg, chops peas and chips and mixed grill reigned supreme all around us.
Robert Carrier had served our household faithfully and I recall my parents glued to the television watching him gracefully produce his flamboyant repertoire to a nationwide audience through his television show “Carrier’s Kitchen”. Happy times.
My book was packed into my trunk for university and was the arbiter of many memorable meals that were cooked for friends and house mates. Admittedly it took a brave decision to cook one of his dishes in those days. Mr. Carrier was never one to skimp on lavish ingredients, and they were often painfully expensive. On reflection, it was well worth every penny, and I guessed he always knew it would be.
For example, I have a recipe open in front of me as I write for Pigeon Prince Ranier III, no doubt created for the head of the Grimaldi Royal Family of Monaco. He spares no detail in ensuring the home cook emulates every aspect of the wondrous creation. He says, by way of introduction to the masterpiece;
“ A dark coloured pigeon is thought to have the highest flavour, and the light coloured one the most delicate. The legs should be of a pinkish colour; when they are large and deeply coloured the bird is old. The breast should be fat and plump. The tame pigeon is smaller than the wild species and is better for cooking. Tame pigeons should be cooked at once, as soon as they soon loose their flavour, but wood pigeons may be hung for a few days. A squab is a young pigeon.” Chapter and verse, with no margin of error allowed. His ingredients go on to list truffle, foie gras and Cognac as the support act to the main protagonist. His was the world of fantasy food, and this recipe title spares no discretion in revealing its intended audience.
He could however be simplistic in equal measure. He wanted everyone to be invited to his party. No one should be left out. In his cookbook named after himself he claims;
“Good plain cooking is not beyond the ability of any man woman or child above the age of twelve. And yet, add a little imagination , a surprise ingredient, or a new cooking method, and everyday food can become gourmet fare” The chapter in question includes recipes for both pork chops gently braised in a simple cider sauce and a magnificent roast suckling pig. It was for his reader to set the budget, cook, eat and enjoy his meticulously penned creations.
To attempt to chronicle his career in such a small space would do him little justice, as he achieved so much.
Though not British by birth, he came to Britain in the early fifties and throughout his life here, he embarked on a glittering career of restaurant ownership, television work, and of course cookery writing both as a food journalist and author of many first class cookery works. He even owned a theatre in Monmartre for a while. He spent time in Italy, France and Morocco where these countries stamped their mark on his cooking style.
He created a hotel, restaurant and cookery school from the dilapidated Hintlesham Hall that he painstakingly restored to a magnificent standard. He owned a renowned restaurant in Camden Passage, that shaped many British chefs, one of which was Shaun Hill.
However all good things must come to an end, and sadly he died in 2006.
I think that Robert Carrier’s influence served to steadfastly up the game of British cuisine for the best part of fifty years. Few food writers can boast such an august career.
His passing was marked by many eulogies and obituaries as befits a man of his stature. As a closing thought on his life, career and achievements, I will leave you with this image of him evoked in his obituary in the Times
It was said that his dinner parties were prepared as though they were theatre – well lit and acted with panache.
Of them he said, “I entertain several nights a week, it is my life”.

BOOK REVIEWS
THE ROBERT CARRIER COOKBOOK.
Based around his contributions to the Sunday Times Colour Magazine this dense paperback is crammed with his classic repertoire. No expense has been spared on the beautiful colour plates to entice the reader into dabbling in the Carrier cooking mystique. Well worth hunting out from reputable dealers.

FEASTS OF PROVENCE
One of Carrier’s much later books, it was written whilst using his ornate mansion in Marrakesh as a base camp. This is a masterpiece that celebrates the centres of excellence of Provençal food, whilst showcasing some of the mighty chefs who work there. Pictorially sublime, it is one of my favourite books, even though it rests in the “coffee table” genre of food writing in my personal library.

COOKING FOR YOU.
As previously mentioned this was my very first cookery book. For me it took me beyond the confines of the classics learned in the domestic science lessons at school and added a finesse to dishes that lacked the polish that British cuisine so desperately needed in the 70’s. Vintage dinner party material from that era.

THE BEST OF ROBERT CARRIER
This fine book sports a travelogue of Mr. Carrier’s cooking repertoire. He draws on his culinary travels to bring together his global cooking and eating experiences in one volume printed on exquisite paper. Sadly, as with so many early cookery works, it lacks any photographs to illustrate the tantalising offer of fare within.

ENTERTAINING
This book has its writer as the ringmaster of the show – this was Robert Carrier’s forte – here he explores the art mystique, cachet and practicalities of entertaining at home. No subject matter is left unsaid, he covers it all from thrifty offerings to the most elegant cocktail party imaginable. Theme party buffs should buy a copy for pure 70’s inspiration.

Mat Follas – Flavour Article.

MAT FOLLAS – THE WILD GARLIC – MASTERCHEF 2009.

The green oak tables for Mat Follas’ new restaurant were being carefully unloaded under many a watchful eye as I arrived to talk to him.

Designed as outdoor furniture they seemed rather unwieldy and momentarily at odds with the interior. There was an ample trestle table that absolutely refused to go inside until partially dismantled by Mat’s crew of helpers. It was eventually inched inside the door, taking a few fingers as victims but avoiding the huge sheet of plate glass at the entrance etched with the herb eponymous with the new restaurant in town, The Wild Garlic.

However, once installed they quickly blended with the muted greens of the décor, and made themselves at home. The edges were patiently carved with snatched sayings from West Country writers such as Thomas Hardy. Others were inscribed with wild ingredients that will soon grace them thanks to the innovation of their new owner.

Inside, things were busy – there was a crew attending to the legion of snagging jobs that any site requires to bring it up to the mark. Things were really taking shape however – a cleanly scrubbed blackboard sat above the fireplace awaiting its plat du jour to be announced in a few days’ time. A wood burner was sitting patiently for its turn to come into the limelight – it will see little action in the summer days to follow, but judging by the advance bookings taking Mat right into September already, it will very soon warm the ambience of this very special space.

The front of house was alive with a score of conversations, questions and mobile calls – all of which were aimed at Mat. Yet, while I waited for him, he patiently dealt with each person and their particular query. He smiled the whole time. A man clearly happy with the gradual achievement of a cherished dream – to open a restaurant and cook the food he loves for others.

Mat’s pre Masterchef existence was that of an IT engineer. He learned to cook out of necessity as so many do. However, he did admit to a secondary motivation, which was to impress the ladies. Back then, it was none of your nettle soup or elderflower sorbets. He stuck to the culinary standards of spaghetti bolognese, stir fries and the odd curry.

So where did the love affair with wild food come from?
He cited three major influences.

He has had a love of scuba diving for many years and described the buzz he felt when coming up from a dive “with about a hundred and fifty quids’ worth of free seafood”.He used to set about cooking some of the catch for friends and family, and traded the rest for meat from his local butcher and Guinness from his local. Barter at its best.

His second inspiration came from his environment – his home town of Beaminster has a strong tradition of foraging, and Mat was keen to join in the fun when he moved there six years ago with his family.

Thirdly his wife Amanda has always been a keen gardener and in tune with her husband’s affinity for the wild, quickly turned her garden from “pretty to edible” Herbs and flowers soon became available for the Follas family to consume at table.

His love of cooking and a desire for change from a corporate work life were prime movers in his application to become a contestant in Masterchef 2009. He modestly claims never to have set out to win – he was simply contented to “not make a fool out of myself” in his heat.

Events were to prove otherwise and during the filming from June to September last year, he quickly found himself in the semi finals, with a one in six chance of winning. It was at that point Mat realised what he had been too modest to see – he could cook. The odds were favourably stacked at this point and he, like his fellow contestants tried to be very tactical on the ensuing round.
Mat leapt out of his comfort zone, and pushed his wild food creations to one side, cooked a very safe and bland dish and nearly lost himself the competition.

The judges’ acerbic off screen roasting soon pulled him to his senses.
He regrouped and prepared for the final. He strapped a brace of wild rabbit and some spider crabs to his Harley and rode off to compete for the final accolade.
He went, he cooked he conquered. Mat became this year’s Masterchef.

The Wild Garlic morphed from a dream into a reality when the chances of winning were looming large on the horizon. Beaminster, while being Mat’s home town, was just one of the candidates to open up a restaurant. He says that the ultimate choice of location “just felt right”
The building goes back almost 450 years and still retains grazing rights over the village square. It has housed a multitude of commerces including, a bookshop, pub, hardware store, furniture suppliers and of course a restaurant.

Mat will open his doors for a launch on the 20th June followed by opening to the general public from 23rd of the month. The menu has a 24 carat hallmark of foraged food. It includes his Mastechef signature dishes of Trio of Wild Rabbit and Spider Crab Thermidor. As I wrote, Mat was planning to bake truffle bread with fellow cook Heather Badcock for the launch, and the appearance of Hand Dived Scallops with Wild Garlic Butter bears testament to his continued desire to source some of his food personally.

He will be showcasing Montana Wines to accompany the food, proud of his Kiwi heritage.

Whilst the menu is concise. it offers daily specials according to season and availability.
I naively asked if he intended to change the menu four times a year to reflect each season.
He calmly retorted that he will in fact change it for every month of the year.

Fighting talk for even the most dedicated wild food aficionado. But Mat has gleaning from Mother Nature off to a fine art. While he was off dealing with the umpteenth query, I looked at his work schedules pasted on the wall next to me. His next days’ duties including a foraging sortie in readiness for the launch meal.

It really did bring a whole new slant on ringing an order through to the local Cash and Carry.
He seemed undeterred by the threat of inclement weather or low stocks in the hedgerows. He will work around any shortfalls by simple substitution.

He will of course use local suppliers , and he has graciously highlighted these on his website, to allow full transparency as to his raw ingredients. As time allows, I feel he will offer the locations of his wild food as well, give or take the odd secret stash of harder to get ingredients!
Although not a big exponent of organic food, preferring to use well managed locally stocked foodstuffs, Mat will ensure from the outset that his customers will be highly aware of the provenance of each carefully selected ingredient.

Mat has had the courage to realise his creative side and risked his shirt to bring the Wild Garlic to fruition. Even now when asked about book deals, product endorsement or TV appearances, he reverts to a self effacing character. “If it comes my way I’ll take it – I am flattered by it all . I only did Masterchef because I wanted to become a chef”
Modest words indeed from a man who is on the verge of opening a restaurant destined for success by virtue of its completely unique bill of fare.
His success will be very much deserved.