Sunlight breaking through the trees in the New Forest
It’s official, pan fried fillet of turbot with a pea and broad bean fricassee is Hampshire’s Dish of the Year. Chefs from the Fullers pub group battled in the open air kitchen at Sparsholt College’s Taste of Hampshire food and drink festival recently to decide the county’s winning dish. Simon Bone, Head Chef of the Bat and Ball in Clanfield was the culinary creator having beaten five other Fullers chefs to take the title.
Taste of Hampshire was a celebration of all things food and in keeping with all things food and drink, there were cooking demonstrations from three renowned Hampshire based chefs including Lainston’s House’s Executive Chef Andy MacKenzie, Jim Hayward, Executive Chef at Ideal Collection and Chewton Glen’s Executive Head Chef Luke Matthews. A trout theme ran throughout the day with the chefs using Sparsholt reared trout and locally grown vegetables to demonstrate innovative recipes with each chef leaving their own individual mark on the dishes.
Visitors were kept refreshed in the high temperatures by a range of Hampshire drinks producers including Jenkyns Place, Upham Brewery, Hill farm Juices, Hildon and New Forest Water.
Organiser Philip Holroyd-Smith said: “It was great to see our visitors get to try a huge range of food and drinks from either producers who brought their wares along or cooked up by chefs from some of the best hotels and restaurants in Hampshire. Having Andy, Jim and Luke all cooking at the one event was a rare treat for those attending and to be able to watch and sample their dishes was the proverbial, icing on the cake.”
Naked Jams, one of the many local producers who also attended, marked the occasion with a special Sparsholt Apple Curd. If you fancy trying it for yourself you will need: 400g Bramley apples, peeled and cored, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 225g unsalted butter chopped, 375g unrefined sugar and 4 eggs, whisked. For instructions on how to create the curd for yourself please go to www.allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/32462/sparsholt-apple-curd.
