Weekly Updates

People often think of mackerel as a “fishy” fish, though when fresh, it is actually one of the purest and cleanest tastes of the sea you will ever encounter. It is delicious as a tartare, lightly pickled, cooked on the barbecue or in a scorching hot pan. The joy of eating mackerel is in the crispy skin and warm juicy oiliness of the flesh, but you need a bracing acidity to showcase this.   Mackerel do not have scales, so you only need to check for pin bones. If they haven’t been removed, simply run your knife either side of...

Scottish girolles are at their very best right now: golden in colour, firm and full of flavour. It is such a positive to now be able to get such ingredients delivered to your door to be cooked and eaten at home, rather than them being solely experienced in posh restaurants. Good ingredients should be accessible to everyone, even if certain restaurants are not. If the girolles are free from soil and debris, only give the briefest of washes. As they cook, they release a lot of liquid, which will emulsify with the butter so there is no need to add...

Many of our customers say these are simply the best tomatoes in the world. We have multiple Michelin starred customers who refuse to buy anyone else’s tomatoes. Hubert Lacoste started growing tomatoes in 1983 after inheriting two acres of his grandparent’s farm in the Gers in South West France. Nestling next to the Petit Baïse river, Hubert argues that it is this “terroir” that is the key to his unique produce; the land is prone to flooding in the winter making the soil different from that in the surrounding area. He found seeds of long disused varieties while travelling around...

Ripe tomato on toast   Here, the key is in the contrasts: a thin crisp toast that contrasts with the fleshy tomato; a smokiness from grilling the bread that contrasts to the sweetness of what lies atop. Ciabatta is absolutely fine in this recipe but if you can find “pan cristal” or “glass bread” from a speciality Spanish grocer, then do stock up on this, as it goes incomparably crisp when toasted. When marinating the tomatoes, do so in a single layer to ensure the seasoning is evenly applied. It is really important, when preparing something this simple, to do...