“Do not be afraid of cooking, as your ingredients will know, and misbehave. Enjoy your cooking and the food will behave; moreover it will pass your pleasure onto those who eat it.” Fergus Henderson, ‘The Complete Nose To Tail. A Kind of British Cooking.’ (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012).
No more befitting words could characterise Fergus Henderson’s approach to his passion for ingredients and cooking. On this occasion, the passing of pleasure was well received by eager diners in Cornwall over two days at The Mariners Public House in Rock and then Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Port Isaac, all hosted by Nathan Outlaw.
Fergus Henderson, author of the renowned ‘Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking’, caused something of a sensation when he and newly found friend, Trevor Gulliver, opened St. John, Smithfield in 1994. Together they have spread across various projects and places, inspiring chefs and diners alike. Simply put, Fergus puts it on the plate and Trevor puts it in the glass. Their visit to Cornwall was no different.
On Sunday 8th May at The Mariners Public House in Rock (a collaboration between Sharp’s Brewery and Nathan Outlaw), Fergus and Nathan, along with Jonathan Woolway (Head Chef, St. John, Smithfield) and Zack Hawke (Head Chef, The Mariners, Rock) served up lunch in true St. John fashion. With both floors of the pub well occupied, diners chose from a specially selected number of St. John classics. Popular choices on the day included Crispy Pig’s Cheek & Dandelion; Skate, Fennel & Green Sauce; Smoked Eel, Bacon & Mash; Devilled Kidneys on Toast, and a Chicken & Ox Tongue Pie for two.
Fergus, whose belief in hearty, honest cooking with no waste, requires no modern gadgets or fancy equipment (in fact, the mere sight of a squeezy bottle for storing and later dispensing freshly squeezed lemon juice was enough to raise a distinct glare of disapproval), but more, a respect for the ingredients guided by touch, feel and instinct when using them. His food is humble, but deeply thought through and purposeful, with the simplest of flavours elevated using a “less is more” approach. Of course, puddings were just as much a highlight as the starters and mains, and just as British: Ginger Loaf and Butterscotch Sauce; Rhubarb Pavlova, and the famous Eccles Cakes served with Lancashire cheese.
The lunch was well complemented by Trevor’s unique selection of St. John own label wines, as well as Sharp’s Brewery’s Connoisseurs Choice Beers, of which a notable favourite 6 Vintage Blend (a beer artfully blended using 5 different beers across 6 vintages) took the Ginger Loaf and Butterscotch Sauce to new heights.
On Monday night, Nathan welcomed Fergus and Trevor to Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Port Isaac, home to his 2 Michelin Starred seafood restaurant. The evening began with guests sipping on St. John own label Champagne whilst gathered at Nathan’s Kitchen Bar as Nathan introduced Fergus and Trevor, before Fergus ran through the menu ahead. In true Fergus fashion, each course was simply described by its few components; “Asparagus, hot butter and some sea salt” a subtle suggestion of “why would you do anything more?” Then the more flamboyant recount of the Anchovy, Tomato and Little Gem salad that he claims saved his life after a foodie trip to Barcelona: After 3 days of over indulging, Fergus explained he felt like he was on “death’s door.” He recalled, “On our last night, I ate this salad of tomato and anchovy… and I survived; I’m still here. That salad saved my life”
Trevor, a keen raconteur himself, followed with a presentation of his wine selection for the evening, of notable interest the Pur Cinsault 2012, Boulevard Napoleon, made of 100% hand picked Cinsault grapes, yielding a mere 600 bottles, of which Trevor maintained, the night’s guests were drinking the last.
Nathan, Jonathan and Trevor in the Kitchen of Restaurant Nathan OutlawThe food, billed simply as ‘a fish supper’, did not disappoint. Served as a six course menu, diners experienced Fergus’ approach to fish cookery: Asparagus with Hot Butter, followed by the “life saving” Anchovy, Tomato and Little Gem Salad, then Fresh Cod’s Roe with Bacon and Ketchup, which was a creation especially for the evening. The cod’s roe, lightly poached first then pan fried along side a thick rasher of smoky, maple and coriander cured bacon, sat aside a spoonful of sweet and sour tomato ketchup, a new take on eggs and bacon, and a stroke of genius, no less!
The main event was Brill Baked on White and Green Vegetables, served whole on large platters for diners to fillet themselves, savouring every morsel. A savoury dish of Herring Melts on Toast preceeded pudding. Fresh herring melts fried and coated in foaming butter, lemon juice and capers, perhaps not for those lesser aqcuainted with fish offal, but otherwise a true synergy of rich, creamy and slightly fishy herring melts, interrupted by Left: Herring Melts on toast. Right: Pear and Sherry Trifle bursts of freshness and acid from the lemon juice and capers.
The night could not have been topped off better than when the chefs carried the puddings into the dining room to a round of ovation; Pear and Sherry Trifles, which Nathan declared to be on his ‘Death Row’ menu, served in large bowls for diners to dig in and help themselves.
As Fergus embarks on his train journey back to London with Trevor and Jonathan, likely accompanied by a bottle or two of burgundy, there is no doubt that the ingredients he handled over the weekend knew who was boss and behaved very well indeed; moreover for all those that ate his food, it was truly an undeniable pleasure!