D
Diners may be unaware, as they enjoy a salad at their local pub, that the fresh leaves have been cultivated on the rooftop just above their heads. In some places, restaurants proudly showcase their homegrown ingredients, allowing customers to leisurely stroll through a well-stocked kitchen garden on their way to their table. This growing trend among eateries is driven by chefs who value knowing the origins of their produce, from lettuce to herbs. The end result is a colorful array of mushrooms, edible flowers, and vegetables beautifully placed on the diner’s plate. In this edition, we have the pleasure of chatting with some of these culinary experts who spend as much time with a trowel as they do with a kitchen knife.
“In London, you’d pay £3.50 for just one courgette flower; here we have them fresh every morning. It’s a personal achievement of mine to reconnect the garden to the plate,” remarks Luke Selby as he guides us through Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons kitchen garden in Oxfordshire. Selby, now taking over as head chef in this world-renowned restaurant as it approaches its 40th year in operation, shares his journey from cooking in a basement beneath a London pub to working steps away from Le Manoir’s incredible kitchen garden.
“I am not claiming that cooking magically healed my broken heart. Life doesn’t suddenly become perfect just because you’ve created the best pavlova or mastered a fail-proof vinaigrette,” expresses Bee Wilson in the introduction of her captivating book, The Secret of Cooking. Wilson’s book is a heartwarming ode to the joys found in the kitchen, offering recipes that nourish our souls and restore our spirits. We are thrilled to share an excerpt from Wilson’s uplifting masterpiece.
Additionally, we join Baroness Casey for lunch at the Felix Project food charity, and Jay Rayner provides intriguing insights on what your choice of red or brown sauce reveals about your character. As for me, I opt for neither, leaving me curious about his interpretation of that particular preference.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
