Produce for Autumn
Fruit and Vegetables: "This is my favourite time of year when there is lots to harvest and preserve in preparation for the winter. Top of the range fruit including plums, damsons, sloes, green/yellow gages, apples, quinces and pears have already begun winging their way from orchards across the country. Our team of chefs are making jams, preserves, chutneys and liquers as well as fresh sorbets, ice creams and puddings. Filbert or cob nuts from Allen’s farm in Kent are now also mature and in the restaurant. A supply of wild mushrooms are in full flow this Autumn season. The warm days and plenty of rain and falling leaves provide optimum conditions for parasol, puff ball and chantrelle mushrooms. Then once the frosts come we will have the mighty parsnip to enjoy. You will find menu items such as a ‘bowl of cobnuts served with Plymouth sloe gin’ and ‘wild mushroom cottage pie with mushroom gravy’ this Autumn."

Fish: "Day boats from the South West are producing fresh mackerel, squid, cuttlefish, bream, and wild line caught bass. You should expect to see ‘wild seabass with lemon and watercress’ appearing on this season’s menu. Megrim soles are in great condition at the moment and are served the a lemon caper butter sauce and even diver caught plaice with a shell fish sauce, weather permitting their capture. Recently the Chop House menu has also featured the Portbeagle shark, which will continue to feed inshore throughout Autumn. Oysters are also hitting peak condition, with Falmouth Bay, wild natives and West Mersea natives all in constant supply."

Meat: "We remain focused on Mendip and blackface lambs, hogget, mutton, Brymoor veal. Lop eared, Middle White, Tamworth, Gloucestershire Old Spot and Wessex saddleback pigs are also served periodically. This season also sees the introduction of game birds including partridge, teal, pheasant, widgeon, snipe, mallard and woodcock as well as rabbit, hare and highland venison. Come and try our selection of game birds with bread sauce and gravy or our suckling pig with apple sauce."

Chefs tip: "Get out and pick wild fruit, damsons, rosehips, haw berries, rowan berries sloes etc and make simple liquers"

Suggested recipe: Sloe Gin
Sloes, pricked with a fork
50g (2oz) barely sugar or almond essence
1 bottle gin

Half fill two clean, dry, wine bottles with pricked fruit. Add to each 25g (1oz) crushed barley sugar or 2-3 drops almond essence. Fill bottles with gin. Cork securely and allow to remain in a moderately warm place for three months. (Phillips Roger, Wild Food, 1983, pp132)

Head Chef, Peter Weeden