Filtering by Tag: George Blogg

Hospitality’s Big Friendly Giant Chefs Inspire My Cooking

June 01, 2022 / Geoff Griffiths

A first for me after invited guests struggled to find child-minders. So we decamped to their house and produced the meal from their kitchen.

I had already planned and shared the menu below with them so the only surprise would be whether I managed to get everything right on the night with unfamiliar equipment. All I’ll say is that I wasn’t disappointed with my efforts - and everyone was most convincing with their endeavours to be complimentary.

BFG Chefs (others are available!)
Helen Everitt-Matthias included as the doyenne of British restaurants’ front of house.

“Standing on the shoulders of giants” is a nice, if full-blown, concept but the elements of this menu relied, as ever, on the skills and wisdom of some of cooking’s finest exponents.

Here are the ‘giants’ who were referenced for the meal which I planned - with links to some of the recipes which you might be tempted to try out in your kitchen.

Nigella Lawson - ‘Bar Nuts’

Thomas Keller - ‘Bacon and Eggs’

David Everitt-Matthias - ‘Bar Nuts’ (the outtakes!), Ras-el-hanout mix, Prune pre-dessert (Recipe in chef’s ‘dessert’ - BUY IT!), Dessert (Recipe in chef’s first cookbook, ‘essence’ - another must-buy!), Petits fours - Salted caramel and peanut truffles, White chocolate and preserved lemon fudge, Mulled wine pastilles

Richard Bainbridge - Fish course

Catherine Fulvio - Main

Yotam Ottolenghi - his recipe for Olive Oil Crackers* was adapted for my ras-el-hanout cracker
* the recipe is more or less here - but discard the sesame seeds and the author’s ignorance of Ottolenghi’s first book, ‘Ottolenghi, The Cookbook’ from 2008 in which the recipe appears!

George Blogg - No recipe used BUT the booklet from his ‘Chef’s Masterclass’ given when Gravetye Manor was closed for the new restaurant build is the starting point and inspiration for planning many of my own more developed menus.

Coffee as always is ordered from HASBEAN

**Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts, Bacon and egg, Pain d'épices with smoked mackerel and horseradish**

**Spicy parsnip soup, ras-el-hanout cracker**

Our fish starter is tried and trusted. Please don’t @ me over the appearance of that haddock. This photo was taken in my kitchen hours before the meal with a ’cushion’ of raw fish. Eat your heart out food stylists!

**Poached haddock with stewed leeks, soy-cured egg yolk and curry dressing**

A lovely, celebratory dish for our main. Prep pics plus the only photograph taken on the night itself.

**Pheasant breast with wild mushrooms and parmesan polenta**

**Chocolate and cardamom yoghurt, Armagnac prune purée and grue de cacao**

**Millas cake with liquorice bramble compôte and lemon verbena ice cream**

**White chocolate and preserved lemon fudge**, **Salted caramel and peanut truffles, Mulled wine pastilles**

Sensible menu.
Added nonsense with no extra charge.

**Recipes, menus, matching food to wine, catering for larger groups… preparation and inspiration to become a better cook**

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George Blogg - A Soufflé Celebration

August 01, 2020 / Geoff Griffiths

Raspberry soufflé with buttermilk ice cream and raspberry and mint coulis

It would have been wonderful to celebrate our 44th Wedding Anniversary luxuriating in the hospitality on offer at one of the restaurants which, within current rules, are open again. But times are strange under Covid-19 so we decided to stay at home, keep safe - and protect our wallets (who needs Dominic Cummings to write short, pithy slogans, eh!).

Gravetye Manor and its team would have fitted the bill very well. They will again in future but our cooked at home celebratory meal would have to rely on a finale courtesy of a recipe from their Executive Chef, George Blogg.

Buttermilk ice cream gives a dairy sourness which differs from the sharpness of the raspberries. It is still needed to counteract a fair amount of sugar. Which means that you hop around between indulgent and ‘grown-up’ flavours but never lose balance.

No Pacojet at Cheoff Towers yet - but you can still see something smooth and sensuous churning into shape in the bucket of our ice cream maker.

The coulis is a bit special. Each element of a dish is so important. We often remember our young teenage son finishing his meal at a countryside restaurant on the last night of one of our early holidays in France. He declared the red, fruity pouring on his dessert the best thing he’d ever tasted. I will often use a splash of lemon juice to brighten things and kick taste buds into recognising more flavour. Here George Blogg uses the addition of mint and it works so well.

I made a small detour from the recipe by adding whole, bruised mint leaves as the raspberries and sugar were heated. This imparts the herb’s flavour and leaves you to decide whether you have the knife skills to chop brunoise tiny and refined enough for a further addition.

Our Bowles’s mint tub is flourishing at this time of year and seems to replace any clippings with new growth before the next day is over.

I’ve already referenced pain d'épices here. George Blogg might be pleased to know that the crumbs which line my buttered dishes are courtesy of the loaf which I usually make - from the recipe of his mentor, friend and fellow inspiration, David Everitt-Matthias. It remains a great store-cupboard standby.

You should be able to identify candied fruits and maybe even spices in the slices below.

These crumbs were toasted again before zizzing to a rough ‘powder’.

Ice cream, coulis and spiced bread? All made before with increasing confidence. But here’s the scary bit - I’ve never tried to cook a soufflé before (lovely as they are, I refuse to count those cheaty, twice-baked efforts which you freeze before triumphantly reviving them for guests).

Buttered and crumbed soufflé dishes confirm that you have taken a step into the unknown. Might as well see this thing through.

The raspberry base begins its folded journey into whipped egg white. The red and white resolve to form a baby pink and give this dessert a deceptive ‘nursery food’ look which is completely undermined in the eating.

For an interesting aside go to Kassia St Clair’s ‘The Secret Lives of Colour’. Among other things you’ll find that ‘Pink is for girls and blue is for boys’ is a rather modern stereotype which is a complete reverse of the attitude prevalent less than a hundred years ago.

Cooking timings for halfway turning and the moment-of-truth decision to serve were probably a bit more relaxed as I had only one (very special) guest to cater for. There was rise without fall but another minute might have seen a marginally higher top.

No matter. Once they are out and dusted with icing sugar there is no going back.

The top is firm enough to support the ice cream but I would recommend slitting it with a spoon to allow the ice cream to nestle in it. Otherwise you might find it sliding off like it did just after this picture was taken.

The pink, featherdown soft result looked pretty good for a first attempt - yes, I do say so myself! The soufflés had risen to the challenge but the larger size of our new dishes presented us with another as we began to taste. There is a lot of sugary sweetness and eggy richness here but the raspberry base asserts itself all the time to balance things on your palate. The ice cream also has indulgence and sourness. We enjoyed our valiant struggle to the end including little hits of the spiced bread as our we scraped up the last spoonful. This is a pretty thing which is every bit as sharp as a French tarte au citron.

Great thanks are due to George Blogg for his recipe and the inspiration to cook something a bit special. It was a small triumph - just right to celebrate that other small triumph of Mr and Mrs Cheoff’s marriage!

Footnote 1:

In case you get there before us - this alternative utter delight is now on the August 2020 menu at Gravetye.

Footnote 2:

The Great British Chefs website has recently had an overhaul after ‘coming under new management’. A bit of discontent has followed but I am perfectly happy to consider my options for subscribing to their new levels of membership. Anyone can dip in each day for at least three features, articles or recipes. Enough access to grab, read, understand and make the recipe here.

Don’t just look… COOK!

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tags / George Blogg, Kassia St Clair, soufflé, dessert, recipe, sweet, raspberry, pink, coulis, buttermilk, ice cream, Gravetye Manor, anniversary, @GravetyeManor, @GeorgeBlogg

June Lunch at Gravetye

October 13, 2019 / Geoff Griffiths

Gravetye Manor – Friday 28 June 2019

We celebrated my Mum’s 89th with lunch at Gravetye a little over two years ago. Mrs Cheoff and I have since experienced Gastronomic Gravetye on my birthday. In between those two events I spent one glorious day pretending to help in the kitchens and I had an equally magnificent invitation to a rare George Blogg ‘Masterclass’.

We decided that our latest visit would be a repeat of the first - except that it would be a lunch taken in the flush of summer.

“Quintessential country house hotel, Michelin-starred dining and world renowned garden.”

The Gravetye Twitter bio sums it up really. Your interest has been piqued and you just need to book now. No need for me to elaborate, eh.

Strap in - you know I don’t give up that easily!

Arrival

A now familiar drive saw us crunch safely onto the gravel of what is surely the most welcoming of Sussex car parks. Only the embarrassing offer of valet parking to negotiate. I handed over the keys with a large grimace and offered the guilty admission that I had washed the bodywork but neglected the interior valeting before setting off.

How Do Their Gardens Grow?

Best to work up an appetite for lunch with a stroll outside. Any season at Gravetye demands this. Our day needed nothing but light attire. English summer means English summer here. Instructions for the easiest way to the elevated walled vegetable garden were followed and we were soon walking through its gates and exploring row upon row of vegetable, fruit and flower bounty.

The prospect of seeing so much of that produce appear in the dishes on our lunchtime menu was a glorious one. The kitchen here constantly take the freshest of ingredients and the finest inspiration from produce just outside their back door

Down to the croquet lawn. A smooth, manicured, controlled surface edged by wilder, longer grasses, complete with shy spikes of dainty pink common spotted-orchids. There are combinations and contrasts which challenge and excite everywhere in the Gravetye garden.

And, as we sat for a while in shade, Head Gardener Tom Coward brought a group from London College of Garden Design onto the green court to describe and explain elements of the William Robinson legacy which he and the garden team protect and develop with such skill and care.

Below Tom informs and entertains with his lovely quiet authority during one of the ‘Garden Tours’ which you may book here.

Snippets of his wisdom drifted across to us but we were less inclined to learn scientific names and continued down to the flower garden to bask in its displays through a mixture of our senses and wordless, wondering thoughts.

Beyond the south wall the meadow slopes down to the lake below. We walked to look over and take in yet another example of what happens when deliberate human interference and control goes only so far and then leaves nature to take over.

Many guests were scattered around the gardens taking refreshment. Passing by one particular couple we recognised Marcus and Jane Wareing who both once worked at Gravetye. Recognised only. We quietly moved on and left them to the less obtrusive and much more appropriate attentions of Gravetye staff. Besides, those attentions had already begun to be given to us in equal measure. Every guest is awarded a star here.

From the Weekend Telegraph, December 2017

Apéritifs

Just to the right before the opening into the Little Garden is a nook set out with bench and chairs and sheltered by that large-leaved tree. If only we had lingered with Tom Coward I could tell you its common and Latin name. Never mind.

We settled there and were soon ordering our first drinks. A repeat of the Ridgeview Estate ‘Bloomsbury’ fizz enjoyed on our first visit for Mum’s birthday lunch. A non-alcoholic ‘Sour’ for me as I was driving. Simple but seductively oily and herby olives along with smoked almonds all helped to prepare our taste buds for the complexity of the main menu. We made our choices and were gently led to our table in one of Britain’s most stunning dining rooms. If you relish great design, architecture, build quality, decorative arts and the sympathetic use of ceramics, wood and fabric you may well have to slow down service in order to linger on the feast of visual delight which has surrounded diners since the new restaurant opened in May 2018.

Food

Food? The food was wonderful. And that is where I’ll end comment on it here. It was complicated and accomplished enough to deserve another post of its own. Too much distraction all at once would divert me from my main thrust here - the quality of people who make up the Gravetye family.

Family

I cannot reference every member of the team who make up that family. There is a natural flux as individuals gain experience and decide to develop and grow elsewhere. Some are regular features (hello, Brian!). But five visits have confirmed to me that everyone responsible for our experiences presents with polished professionalism and a very real desire to do something thoughtful and generous for each guest.

I do try to avoid ‘favourites’ so all I’m doing next is to pick out two people who insist on being acknowledged. They are at the very top of their profession and Gravetye is daily enriched by their presence. Of course they do not, cannot, attend to every guest’s needs. But they, and other key members of the team, lead by such an example that everyone is in tune with the inspiration through excellence which they example.

Managing Director

‘Managing Director’. I suppose those two words suffice as a convenient job description for Andrew Thomason. He certainly manages and directs. But that can’t begin to encompass all he does. At some stage you will be looked after by him personally or ‘second-hand’ by someone he has prompted or trained effectively to be a chip off his not-yet-all-that-old block. His attention to detail spreads from a hand-written greeting for guests who have booked rooms to the quick remembering that a jacket in the cloakroom is ready for collection and not for forgetting. It is quite possible that he does not recall absolutely everything about you from any previous visits but I would not discount that. At any rate, he makes easy and immediate connections which confirm your small but very significant membership of the ‘Gravetye Family’.

Gravetye is inescapably a commercial enterprise and Andrew must have to be a hard-nosed businessman at times. I imagine he delivers even that aspect with the softest of touches. He appears to have a rare desire to care for the wellbeing and comfort of everyone he meets. Even his customary sharp tailoring cannot hide the gentle man beneath.

Executive Chef

George Blogg (left) supporting Matt Worswick as he accepts a Michelin star for the Latymer Restaurant team. David Everitt-Matthias looks on with huge admiration and totally justified pride. A favourite picture.

The kitchen have their Michelin star which is awarded for the quality of food alone. That star arrived soon after George Blogg became Head Chef. His present title confirms a step back from constant control. But, having himself been mentored by hugely intelligent and talented chefs, George has now trained and instilled a team with the confidence to express and interpret his thoughts about food and to continue to do justice to the produce of the Gravetye gardens. A recipient of the Matt Campbell Extra Mile Award, he continues to help young chefs to develop their careers in the industry’s other kitchens.

On this day our gooseberry soufflés were delayed by the arrival of an unexpected pre-dessert. After a quick double-take we realised that George Blogg was serving them to us! We managed to discuss the merits of ruby chocolate, the rigours of chef competitions and balancing time for the rewards of a life bringing up a family with those of a fulfilling but oh-so-demanding profession.

Our conversation was all but silenced by the realisation that someone else was being served their soufflés. We watched as, with an admirable degree of calm, Commis Pastry Chef, Henry, delivered his work to Marcus and Jane Wareing’s table. We earwigged for the review from a rather well-qualified judge - “I hope this is on the menu again next year for my 50th birthday!”

Soon, tasting our own gooseberry soufflé with ginger ice cream, we readily agreed that Chef Wareing’s appreciation had been spot on.

George had left us by then. His visit was such a kind gesture to our table. Mum, already delighted by her experience, was now utterly enchanted.

You will certainly leave wrapped in the richness of your experience. Whatever the season all those generous human qualities which create perfect hospitality are beautifully interwoven at Gravetye with a centuries-old history and the wild and the tamed nature of the surrounding garden and landscape. With so much on offer, you could also leave wondering if you might have overlooked and completely missed something in your stay. What a perfect reason to return.

Soon.

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tags / Michelin star, Gravetye Manor, hospitality, lunch, fine dining, gardens, summer, Relais & Chateaux, excellence, hotel review, restaurant review, family, George Blogg, Andrew Thomason, Marcus Wareing

Almond Crème Brûlée, Poached Rhubarb and Fluid Gel

April 15, 2018 / Geoff Griffiths

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...”

That quote from Oscar Wilde hovered around as I considered writing an account of how I came to make this dessert.

I was recently invited to a ‘Chef’s Masterclass with Head Chef, George Blogg’, held in the Tithe Barn at Kingscote Vineyard. Chef and his team had re-located there to offer day courses of instruction, participation, cooking, eating, drinking and so much more which I will try to describe elsewhere. It suffices to say that any expectations which I had formed were made to seem daftly inadequate. These days were rare (perhaps not to be repeated) ventures organised while Gravetye Manor is closed until an exciting re-opening in early May. I should have known by now that any Gravetye offering is guaranteed to rest on professional excellence and care which leads to enjoyment and deep satisfaction wherever it might be held.

We eventually sat down to eat a five course meal prepared through the day. One of the two desserts is the recipe which I was inspired to reproduce soon after returning home.

This is where I ask you to do some work before you start cooking. An internet search of this sort will give you recipes for the milk and eggs. There are processes for other elements here which were new to me but in the main this plate rests on a gentle approach using reasonably well-known things which work together.

So, I'll try to inspire you to those great things... but be prepared to research the wealth of information available which will flesh out the gaps I leave here.

Just yolks needed to start. The current series of MasterChef UK provided a reminder for me to deal with the whites by poaching them as fluffy 'Îles flottantes'. And then Catch-22 kicks in as I'd want more yolks for the custard... hrrrgh.

Flaked almonds could be toasted further than mine but beware of taking them into bitterness. Start again if that happens.

The almonds join heated cream and almond milk to infuse. Half an hour minimum. I would recommend half a day at least. Optional Amaretto after cooling. Yes, I did take that option. A little vanilla extract is worth considering.

The base of moulds are cling-filmed, foiled and placed on a J-Cloth to protect from direct heat.

Sugar and those egg yolks have joined the mix and it's ready for pouring. I lightly tap such liquids to get rid of surface air bubbles but at Gravetye they give a quick sweep from a blow torch and all is smooth. Thank you, Chef... you have the best 'wrinkles'.
The whole tray is cling-filmed and goes into an oven no higher than 90 degrees C until the tops have a firm wobble. Any higher and you risk cooking the yolks into lumpiness.

Rhubarb can be prepared while the 'custards' are baking. This is some from our garden but I only used it for skin peelings to colour the gel syrup. Younger, pinker, more tender rhubarb came, via supermarket, from Norfolk.

The stripped skins are boiled in sugar syrup to release their colour.

The strained syrup is heated again. The peeled rhubarb is added and everything is just left to cool down. Carefully lifting out the rhubarb, the syrup is boiled with agar agar until that is completely dissolved. I used flakes of agar agar. If yours also turns out like wallpaper paste like mine did the first time, you've put in too much setting agent. Make sure you have reserved some pink syrup to dilute!

I ordered an oven thermometer after cooking the 'custards' for at least double the time and realising that I was well under the maximum 90 degrees required. And that cling film is a bit of a cheat. It was forgotten for the baking but I wrapped it round for cooling. No harm done as it turned out.

The penultimate task (before finding the proof in the eating) is to plate up. I had sketched a few ideas but decided to try a similar arrangement to that of the Gravetye team.

Bear in mind that we were treated to a second dessert there so this picture from the day shows what was more of tasting menu proportions.

A scattering of demerara sugar over the custard is caramelised by blow torch. My lighter pink rhubarb is prepared after Gravetye's suggestion but I had some darker to add from our breakfast poaching. Thinking I would simply extend the fruit (I know... vegetable!) on each side, I found a 'pinwheel' forming instead. I couldn't go with any more symmetry so the gel and toasted almonds were placed to break up visual regularity. As Chef Blogg advises, a careful, close confusion of all elements ensures that they are easily tasted together wherever the spoon investigates.

A careful look at those flowers reveals that something in the garden has had a go at the top petals... so don't look too carefully!

The square mould was plated up on a rectangular plate. Mint leaves were for visual effect only. The red-veined sorrel used at Gravetye was more appropriate but I really wanted to have that pop of green captured somehow by my camera at home.

My efforts were made in time to serve after an Easter Sunday roast lamb dinner with an invited neighbour. Her reaction at setting eyes on her pudding was all delight... she was delighted and her reaction was delightful. Something like the squeal of a pet guinea pig when it hears the clink of its food bowl. Something like that.

The photographs in this post are supplemented by a few more taken along the way which can be viewed in an album here.

One last thing to address. That Oscar Wilde quote. I wasn't aware until checking that he added a few more words to complete it.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

Oh dear. I really must deal with that. I'll readily agree that I am imitating greatness. And I am perfectly happy flattering that greatness since I also continue to address sincere thanks in public and private to the source of that greatness. Which just leaves my mediocrity. In this particular instance, I'm looking at what I managed to achieve and for once I've decided that I might have pushed on as far as 'not half bad'.

Getting there was made easier of course because, in the slightly modified words of renowned cook and part-time scientific revolutionary, Sir Isaac Newton, I was "... standing on the shoulders of culinary giants".

Thanks again to Chef Blogg and his brilliant brigade.

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tags / rhubarb, dessert, Gravetye Manor, George Blogg, KingscoteEstate, almonds, crème brûlée, almond milk, presentation, fluid gel, agar agar

Gravetye Manor - A Day In The Kitchen

January 06, 2018 / Geoff Griffiths

I have already enjoyed the experience of eating at Gravetye Manor as a paying customer. More recently I was able to spend time in the kitchen alongside the team who prepare food to the consistently high standard which earns a star. The Michelin Guide awards a further star for a restaurant worth a detour. Since I took a five hundred mile round trip each time to eat and to 'work' there, Gravetye already has a two star rating from me!

You now have the daunting task of staying with me and reading my account here. I have dealt with events as best as I could. Advance apologies for inaccuracies, including names of the people I met and their proper job titles. My organisation and attention to detail does not match theirs.

The day arrived. Chef George Blogg had written, “How does 9am sound?… We work until about 10.30pm.” The coward in me had thought, “I can always make my excuses and slope off after morning coffee if I can’t hack it.”

By half past ten (a.m!) my calf muscles were in persistent ache mode and my right hip was reminding me that it is not in the best of order… and I was fully and irrevocably decided that I would ignore those and any other negative signals and enjoy one of the best days of my life outside those with my family and close friends.

I have split up my text rather arbitrarily with the stages of a restaurant visit. Not ideal but at least it will give you a chance to draw breath, even stop for a while, and decide, like me, if you have the resolve to carry on!

APÉRITIF

My visit came on the 31st which meant that elements of the new, monthly-changing menu were being prepared while well-practised courses went out for the last time. Not strictly true... there is a little sensible seasonal repetition and sometimes a dish is just too good to be discontinued. But it did make for a delightful confusion as far as I was concerned as I witnessed a wealth of ideas being brought to life before me.

For the early part of the day commis pastry chef Henry made me warmly welcome and we discussed sour dough starters, flour suppliers and parental wisdom on what to avoid discussing with a prospective partner on a first date. It’s not all about food, you know! Doughs were at various stages of preparation and I eventually tried to shape breakfast rolls. Two at a time. My right hand occasionally succeeded but the left is in detention after completely refusing to co-operate. I filled conical brioche bun tins with slightly more sticky success. I brushed rose petals from Tom Coward’s garden with egg white and sprinkled them with rose sugar to be dried for eventual adornment of afternoon teas. That sugar is powerful stuff. Opening the container releases a pungency sweeter and more heady than a score of English country gardens.

Amuse-bouche: Mistaken Identity
A recurring theme when introduced to a new member of the brigade was being asked where I had worked previously and how long I was now contracted to be at Gravetye.
A few years back, Mrs. Cheoff gifted me a chef’s jacket and checkered apron. At home I usually don them just before friends arrive for a meal and greet them with something like, “We’re very busy… have you booked?” I changed into this for the day at Gravetye and I guess they gave me false credentials. It’s always lovely to have an ego boost but I did correct each misguided individual immediately. I reckon I gave them enough subsequent evidence to confirm that I was just a keen but casual visitor.

Chef appeared in our section just before ten. There was no quick, polite introduction followed by George Blogg's disappearance to do ‘more important things’. Instead, he began to include me in a conversation which flowed through the day. I had brought notes with prompts for questions to ask but these were deliberately discarded as I realised how much was going on around to feed my curiosity. Chef by no means devoted all his time to me but I felt that he would always be available with much more attention than I had expected. And, of course, the whole brigade are given that same attention. Through great time management Chef is constantly questioning and responding to those around him so that they are fully occupied in sustaining a standard and pushing it to further heights.

I was kept busy while lunch service started by collecting and mixing ingredients for an 'Olive Oil & Pistachio Cake', also intended for afternoon teas. Henry needed his book of notes and recipes to work with elsewhere so he quickly transcribed the ingredients for me.

It was a rather emotional choice of recipe. A recipe that is not really so unusual or too difficult to make. But it appears in 'essence', the first cookbook by David Everitt-Matthias. And George Blogg spent formative time with David at 'Le Champignon Sauvage'. And I first knew of George through reading David's work. Thoughts of the love and respect which I have for those two joined the mix as the kitchen whisk and paddle turned. Yup... emotional.

Amuse-bouche: Better Late Than Never
On my way to return the box of pistachio paste I realised that I’d forgotten exactly where the dry store was. Along the corridor came Head Sommelier, Alexis Jamin, and I asked him for help. After he had pointed me in the right direction, I took the opportunity to thank him personally for his recommendations when we dined in March 2017. He had only just arrived at Gravetye then. I do trust he is becoming a permanent fixture… he is yet another reliable member of the team.

STARTER

Before going further I might as well confirm that the ‘C’ word was freely used through the day. This is more than understandable... it is easily justified. ‘Chef’ is regularly consulted as the driving force here and criticisms, corrections and confirmations are regularly sought from him in the pursuit of excellence. As for any other professional kitchen stereotypes of rich but foul language and threatening behaviour... forget them. You might hear an occasional self-addressed curse from the perpetrator of individual mistakes but the inescapable feeling here is that everyone is treated as an integral part of a thrust towards developing something special in a quiet and determined way. In 2016 viewers of 'MasterChef: The Professionals' were impressed by the care and empathy which George showed in mentoring competitors. It was no put-up job for the cameras. I witnessed it through the entire day I was there. Bookings are still made on the back of that TV coverage. Can such an attitude promote clarity, honesty and excellence which is ultimately translated onto each plate in the Gravetye dining room? I strongly suggest that it can and does.

I spent just enough minutes in the kitchen at lunch service to be offered a trimming from some quail and a spoonful of lightly spiced quinoa. I was to be given what amounted to a feast later. An extended review about the depth of flavours in those two midday mouthfuls could easily follow. Don't panic... I've decided to let you off and bludgeon you with the rest of the days events instead.

After lunch service there was talk of foraging for acorns and I had thought that a company of us would set out. In the end Chef, having received requests for pickings of cavolo nero and sorrel, motioned to just me and we were off to the garden. So I was treated to a priceless one-to-one chat with a great member of the culinary profession.

George looked fondly at the screen of Jerusalem artichokes which had started to produce early this particular season. Tom Coward and his team ensure that there is constant inspiration growing a few yards from the kitchen. Other restaurant gardens appear wonderful but many can't truly support the quality asked for by their chefs. Gravetye's certainly does. We talked about the importance of the garden and the careful sourcing of suppliers of equal quality who are referenced in the restaurant menu.

We distracted ourselves with talk of celebrity chefs and by sampling slices of apple from espalier growth. George immediately mused on a dish in which the particular variety of apple might shine. With a sweep of his hand he encompassed the whole garden and smiled at his great fortune that its bounty is on his doorstep.
He glossed quickly over characters who maintain a high profile in the media. No resentment or disdain there... but I think that the notion of celebrity is regarded as an unwanted distraction from his kitchen and his restaurant diners.
I was pretty sure that Phil Howard's name would come up and when it did George spoke of him with great affection. At the Square and at Le Champignon Sauvage, George was not only influenced by refined cooking skills and inquisitive approaches, he was in the company of two more very intelligent people. George worked in kitchens from age fifteen but graduated in Geology before letting his true passion take over. Chefs communicate in immediate and important ways through their understanding and mastery of flavour. But something special happens in kitchens such as Gravetye's. I believe that great chefs like George and his prime mentors bring their gifted abilities to the plate alongside a deep intelligence. This can push their food to extremes of complexity. Then comes the art of drawing back, at least some of the time, so that as many people as possible can enjoy their creation. If a particular dish stops you in your tracks and forces you to eat more thoughtfully I would suggest that the chef is actually asking for a fuller understanding of that dish.
I am all for a punch in the solar plexus from the swelling emotion of a symphony’s final movement but I still want to know more about what inspired that emotion in a composer and how it found expression. A good restaurant meal gives that same visceral impact but on this day I was on the other side of things and soaking up so much more about creative drive and its potential from Chef and his brigade. It was a glorious treat.

Erk. Got a bit highfalutin there. Sorry.

Amuse-bouche: The Night Porter – Part One
After my garden walk with Chef I made a cup of tea in the rest room and met Javier. He is the hotel night porter. He is also a wonderfully intelligent and thoughtful human being. We chatted about his native Spain, his love of architecture and of physical geography. Javier delights in the quiet beauty of the Sussex countryside which surrounds Gravetye. Back to architecture, and I discovered that both his faith and his secular interests have seen him visit many English cathedrals. He was almost jealous that I live so close to the winner of #cathedralworldcup, which is one he’s missed so far. It was a privilege to talk briefly but with such meaningful depth to Javier. I hope he will manage that trip to Lincoln one day.

Everyone is offered a late afternoon meal before dinner service starts and I enjoyed a chicken and mushroom pie. Needless to say, it was perfectly seasoned.

MAIN

Amuse-bouche: J Chokes
Shortly before dinner service, Sous Josh asked me to prep some Jerusalem Artichokes. Below is the result of my efforts. And that blue band around my finger in the header picture for this post is covering the result of a snick when all but four of the little devils were peeled.
#BadgeOfHonour

I had watched Josh form mini quenelles of beef tartare earlier in the day. Prepped for canapés, they were now needed as diners had begun to order pre-dinner drinks. Josh showed me how to control a squeezy bottle to deliver a small, neat dob of horseradish mayonnaise and then finish with garden garnish. Crisp blades of dehydrated cavolo nero, liberally seasoned with vinegar salt were going out as well. A sort of pearl barley mini 'arancini' completed the trio on offer. These were brought over as needed by Collins after warming. And then Josh dropped the mini bombshell on me that I would be calling "Service" on the canapés. It was a lovely gesture which rested on us both knowing that I had immediate support at hand. But I managed to get through with a few words of encouragement and minimal physical intervention. It was assembly of prepared elements but I still felt the weight of responsibility. I plated the last table of six as three pairs and had to change them in a hurry to two triplets. My chance to experience just a hint of the pressures of the professional kitchen but all went out with approval... phew!

'Mis en place' for dinner service with stoves opposite for heating and saucing

The complexity of food on offer for dinner meant that I was happy to stand back and watch as the brigade delivered. I did ask questions and made mental notes which would inform my cooking at home. Some of those questions were answered with offerings from the night's menu items.

Amuse-bouche: Consistency
Chloé was at her stove cooking every piece of Halibut, Southdown Lamb, Pine Smoked Fallow Venison (oof, the aroma - wow, the texture and flavour!), Wood Pigeon and Norfolk Quail for this service. Faggots, meat bonbons and confit legs were all sent to the pass along with them. In the entire evening Chef questioned one pigeon breast as a little 'under'... and then relented and admitted that it would be perfect after resting. As the evening progressed I tasted trimmed pieces from all of the meats before plating. Chloé's efforts get first prize from me - but she is just one of a team of gold medallists.

Chef had obviously decided that I needed extra sustenance and called on Collins to prepare one of the evening's starters for me. See it below before I poured in the vegetable dashi.

Cured Hampshire Chalk Stream Trout - red beetroot tartare, trout roe, tagetes and a garden vegetable dashi

Collins is from Andorra, speaks French, Spanish and English and had only worked in the kitchen for one month. I popped in a touch of foreign language skills practice with him and Chloé. My verdict on the trout was "Un véritable triomphe!" I think Collins already knew.
Chef explained why he had chosen the particular fish. Its habitat is the secret to its fresh, clean taste with none of the 'muddiness' of other catches. A stunning dish. Delicate but insistent flavours for the most part... but then that hit of tagetes reminds you how one small element can elevate an already exalted dish.

Amuse-bouche: The KP
I’d seen Iñaki at his sinks behind the pastry section earlier in the day and exchanged a few words in English... Basque is beyond me! As the cooking of the dinner service progressed I noticed that the 'batterie de cuisine' of used pots, pans and tools was disappearing and magically returning in a pristine state, ready for further use. I don’t claim to comprehend the full mysteries of a kitchen porter’s training but I do now have a theory that they undergo Ninja training which allows them to ghost in and out of kitchens. Iñaki delivers stealth and infiltration at black belt level... everyone benefits and no-one gets harmed!

DESSERT

Starters and mains were all out by now and cleaning down had started but the pastry section were still at work ensuring a memorable end to each diner's night. Henry prepared a fresh mix for raspberry crumble soufflés while Head Pastry Chef Ashley produced the final flourish for his last table... and the smaller tasting menu version for me!

Coriander and Coconut Parfait - bergamot sorbet, coconut macaroon and coriander cress

No rum... but still a heady cocktail of tropical seduction. The chiller drawer at his station ensured perfect texture for sorbets and ice creams but their consistent delivery in perfectly formed rochers was down to Ashley. His calm and control had been matched throughout the evening by every person working in the kitchen. There was complexity but a total attention to detail dismissed all trace of confusion.

Amuse-bouche: The Night Porter – Part Two
The rest room has a wall on which are posted photos of the ‘Gravetye Family’. I was taking snaps of these for reference when Javier pointed to the top of the pyramid. There was Andrew Thomason, Managing Director. I can’t report Javier’s exact words but they were close enough to these… “That man is a truly wonderful person. He cares about each and every one of us. He will always stop to talk and this place could never be what it is without him.” To have someone from the base of the pyramid extol the virtues of one at its apex does rather shatter the idea that the pyramid exists in any important hierarchical sense. At any rate, Javier made it perfectly clear that the Gravetye family does exist and that he feels very much a part of it.

For one day I became an honorary member of the family. One final confirmation came as I walked through the stillroom towards Chef's office. Zoltan, also on his way home, said his farewell to me as if we had worked side by side for years.
I had arrived, excitedly, with hopes of understanding more about what I might achieve at home with some input from professionals. I certainly took away inspiration and guidance in that respect but a much more valuable aspect of my day was what the whole team joined to give... the knowledge that a group of people can work without conflict to achieve excellence.
I went into George's office and tried to thank him for all that I had been given. There was not enough time and there never seem to be the exact right words on such an occasion. I had prepared my own gifts and eventually sent a more considered response in writing.

Chef then did one of those things which, on reflection, is perfect. He sent me on my way with a loaf of sourdough from the morning bake. All the stunning effort and culinary achievement which I had witnessed will stay with me for an age. But I will always remember leaving with what everyone is given by the Gravetye kitchen... a simple, honest offering of love through food.

For a few more pictures of my day, follow this link to a new gallery.

COFFEE AND PETIT FOURS

Two days after my visit George Blogg proudly posed in the same place as I had taken one of my pictures. The Michelin Guide's plaque displaying star status for 2018 had just arrived.

TAXI!

Things are now changing dramatically at Gravetye which closed on the 2nd of January at the start of a truly exciting project. The restaurant is to be transformed by breaking down barriers between it and the wonderful garden. The website now has a tantalising countdown until Gravetye reopens on the 7th of May.
You can still explore hotel and restaurant bookings and the closure has thrown up lovely opportunities to enjoy courses at nearby Kingscote Vineyard. Garden and flower workshops are there but you will understand that the most attractive to me are those with Chef George Blogg!
Whatever you decide upon, Gravetye will continue to give rich satisfaction.

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tags / Michelin, Michelin star, Gravetye Manor, fine dining, experience, cooking, George Blogg, restaurant

Blogging For The First Time

February 21, 2017 / Geoff Griffiths

Blogg... George Blogg.

Chef... Michelin starred chef.

Never eaten his food before but we are booked at Gravetye Manor Restaurant for lunch with Cheoff's Mummy for her eighty-ninth birthday next month... we will be Blogging for the first time.

Normally I'd give you a post-prandial low-down but this particular visit raises a few points which I'll share now before the event.

How do we prepare ourselves for such an occasion? A birthday treat for someone who is unreservedly loved and admired by her family, friends and neighbours. The poignancy that her husband, my very recently deceased step-father, is definitely not able to join us. What to wear? Who will drink and not drive? We'll bring those and many other thoughts and considerations to the table. Some will have been resolved before arrival. Some, like our menu and wine choices, we will work through while there.

The most intriguing (I must stress, not the most worrying) question for me is how I'll react to eating food from a chef whose training includes a stint with David Everitt-Matthias in Cheltenham. Regular readers will know the love/hero worship/recourse to stunning recipes which are generated by my favourite chef. The fact that the immensely talented Phil Howard has also been a formative influence might easily fan the fire of fearing how well chef Blogg will pass muster. But no. As I stressed, I will have few worries. I have reached the point where I very reluctantly make comparisons in the face of alternative approaches to ingredients and their potential. We will simply be in different, but safe, hands.

I like the fact that Chef Blogg all but dismisses presentation from his approach. That is surely a mildly disingenuous suggestion of his. Every dish will most likely look as pretty as a picture while delivering the more important elements of flavour and texture which come from a full understanding of cooking. Let's face it... with a bountiful garden of produce on his doorstep, our chef stands a chance.

I will enjoy everything put before me... even if it is the enjoyment of being challenged by something new or unexpected.

But, above all, I am looking forward to sharing that enjoyment with the person who will celebrate another year of being on this earth. Mum has in fact already been to a different Gravetye Manor... one from over thirty years ago. Being in the days of 'Nouvelle Cuisine', certain of her fellow diners still remember leaving and having a midnight fry-up back at home! No such prospect for us. Chef knows what he is about and I think we are all wise enough to let him hold sway.

Ah, George should perhaps be told... my Mum is also a terrific cook. So, I admit that a few cheeky comparisons might be made after all!

Let's finish with a delicious and enticing video of what we are expecting... outstanding ingredients treated with respect and, dare I say it, perfectly presented. I might even ask Mum to help me with a review here in due course.

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tags / Michelin, Gravetye Manor, George Blogg, restaurant