Matt Tebbutt Interview
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We chat with Market Kitchen favourite, Matt Tebbutt, on his upcoming cookbook, foraging for snail caviar, and what he'll be cooking up this summer.
Could you tell us about your upcoming cookbook (Matt Tebbutt Cooks Country, £20.00, published by Mitchell Beazley, released September 2008)?
It’s been a very exciting process putting all the different elements together. The recipes are a selection of my favourites – very rustic, very seasonal and a mix of old classics and bold, contemporary dishes - all set against a beautiful rural backdrop.
Your restaurant, The Foxhunter, has won many awards. How does working in busy London restaurants compare to having your own restaurant?
There’s just no comparison – it’s much more laid back. At The Foxhunter, I can do whatever I like with the menu. I like to change it twice a day to make the most of the freshest, local ingredients. Sourcing the best produce I can lay my hands on is a great part of the job.
What are some of the dishes you’ll be creating for the restaurant this summer?
We always serve top class local, wild and foraged ingredients cooked with beautiful simplicity. Dishes such as, slow roast pork belly, gooseberry chutney and watercress, wild salmon, rock samphire and crayfish sauce, elderflower fritters and Welsh honey ice-cream.
How did you get into foraging?
Raoul, our wild man, started to bring foraged foods into The Foxhunter to sell...then I started going out with him and really enjoyed the whole experience.
What are some of the more interesting ingredients you’ve discovered while foraging?
Chicken of the woods, pignuts and snail caviar.
Do your children like to forage?
Yes, although I usually end up carrying them home.
Do they like to help in the kitchen?
Yes, they're very into cakes and icing – and Henry likes to make a mess with the bread dough.
Are there ingredients you’d like the British public to embrace more?
Snails and brains...not necessarily together!
Based on the success of Market Kitchen, it must be exciting to see people getting more inspired by seasonal cooking, seeking out local produce and visiting farmers markets?
Absolutely – it’s the only way to go! And it makes all the difference to the flavours and freshness of the food.
It’s been a very exciting process putting all the different elements together. The recipes are a selection of my favourites – very rustic, very seasonal and a mix of old classics and bold, contemporary dishes - all set against a beautiful rural backdrop.
Your restaurant, The Foxhunter, has won many awards. How does working in busy London restaurants compare to having your own restaurant?
There’s just no comparison – it’s much more laid back. At The Foxhunter, I can do whatever I like with the menu. I like to change it twice a day to make the most of the freshest, local ingredients. Sourcing the best produce I can lay my hands on is a great part of the job.
What are some of the dishes you’ll be creating for the restaurant this summer?
We always serve top class local, wild and foraged ingredients cooked with beautiful simplicity. Dishes such as, slow roast pork belly, gooseberry chutney and watercress, wild salmon, rock samphire and crayfish sauce, elderflower fritters and Welsh honey ice-cream.
How did you get into foraging?
Raoul, our wild man, started to bring foraged foods into The Foxhunter to sell...then I started going out with him and really enjoyed the whole experience.
What are some of the more interesting ingredients you’ve discovered while foraging?
Chicken of the woods, pignuts and snail caviar.
Do your children like to forage?
Yes, although I usually end up carrying them home.
Do they like to help in the kitchen?
Yes, they're very into cakes and icing – and Henry likes to make a mess with the bread dough.
Are there ingredients you’d like the British public to embrace more?
Snails and brains...not necessarily together!
Based on the success of Market Kitchen, it must be exciting to see people getting more inspired by seasonal cooking, seeking out local produce and visiting farmers markets?
Absolutely – it’s the only way to go! And it makes all the difference to the flavours and freshness of the food.
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