Growing up, I was lucky to travel all around the world. New Zealand, New York, Los Angeles, all over Europe, but even now one of my favourite places to go on holiday is the British Seaside. Fish and Chips on the beach, amusements, piers and, of course, some of the finest fish and shellfish in the world.
Of these seaside towns, Wells Next the Sea, in Norfolk; is a port town in North Norfolk, with vans selling cockles and other treats for lunch. That smell of the fishing boats, butchers selling local meat (the lamb that grazes on the salt marshes nearby is out of this world), and quaint pubs – it has everything you need!
As you walk down the long path to the beach, you can find one of my favourite ingredients to use, sea vegetables. Sea beet, aster, purslane and, of course, samphire. In fact, samphire is in such abundance, if you don’t fancy foraging in yourself, along the road on the drive home people will be selling it, with an honesty jar next to it, drop a couple of quid in and take it home! So, that’s what we did.
With plenty of it for a couple of meals, and all the amazing local produce, the tough decision was what to have it with! Before, I mentioned that lamb! Well, I had a bought a shoulder, so put that in the oven, mirepoix of carrot, onion and garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, 220c for 15 minutes until browned, then turned down to 120 and cooked until it was falling apart. I then took some of the fat from the tin and roasted some new potatoes, with plenty of thyme, then served the samphire simply steamed and tossed in butter. Safe to say it went down a treat with the family!
Still with plenty to use, the next day, getting lost down a country lane, I stumbled across a little fish monger. We had a look around and came out with some beautiful sea trout and some clams. I roasted the trout in a pan, foaming butter and plenty of lemon (no sous vide here) steamed the clams in white wine and a little curry powder, added some coconut milk and did my take on a Bombay potato. Through the curry and clam sauce I added the samphire! I have actually adapted this dish using hake and mussels for the new London Lifestyle Menus.
I am a firm believer that some of the best produce is on our doorstep here in the UK, and I have used the new London Lifestyle Menus to showcase my passion for this.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this article or inflight catering in London, contact london@airculinaire.com.
