Food of the gods

Some of James' favourite ingredients can be found right on his doorstep."

Food of the gods

It’s England’s largest county, encompassing a coast that stretches from Saltburn to Spurn Point, fertile arable land, and miles of important heather-clad moorland. Hardly surprising, then, that some of James’ favourite ingredients can be found right on his doorstep in Yorkshire. Here he enthuses about some of the amazing produce from God’s own county, and suggests some delicious ideas for using it.

Beer

“It’s important to Kate and I that the Pipe and Glass remains a welcoming Yorkshire pub, where customers can simply drop into the bar for a pint after work, or push the boat out with an indulgent Michelin-starred meal in the restaurant.

“We’re fortunate to have so many breweries in Yorkshire and we stock various local beers, including from the nearby Wold Top and Scarborough Breweries.
“And we’re currently working to develop a new Pipe and Glass ale with our friends at Wold Top – it’s near my home town of Filey, so very personal to me.”

Asparagus

“Asparagus is such a luxury – or it should be. In the spring, we tend to find our supermarkets flooded with asparagus from Peru, but really – isn’t it worth just hanging on a few weeks and getting the homegrown stuff? Less air miles, and it just has to be the freshest and most delicious when you get it from Spilman Farming at Sessay, near Thirsk, or Sand Hutton Asparagus, near York – both fewer than 50 miles away from the Pipe and Glass!

“Since we took over the Pipe and Glass in 2006, one of the most popular dishes on the menu has been asparagus with crispy duck egg, chorizo and lovage dressing – you can find it in my book, On The Menu. But for those who might be a little nervous about tackling the duck deep-fried eggs, the asparagus – blanched and shallow-fried in butter – is just as delicious on its own. Or for something a little more extravagant, serve it as we do in a delicious fish dish that regularly appears on our specials board during the asparagus season: fillet of wild halibut, English asparagus, Jersey Royals, morel mushrooms, seaweed cracker and lobster sauce.”

Rapeseed oil

“Rapeseed oil has been one of the big culinary stories of the last decade, with more and more chefs appreciating its delicate taste and high smoke point. We’re lucky to have one of the country’s leading producers, Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil, just up the road at Thixendale.

“I love to use Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil at the Pipe and Glass as it’s so versatile, and has such a great nutty flavour. It complements both meat and fish, and can be used for traditional purposes such as shallow frying, or for mayonnaise and dressing, but also for more unusual uses, including puddings. I use it in our raspberry mousse, pistachio and rapeseed sponge, aerated white chocolate and raspberry sorbet; the oil helps to create a very light and airy result.”

“And the black pepper rapeseed oil which I created with Yorkshire Rapeseed works really well with strawberries; try it in the strawberry cheesecake recipe from On the Menu.”

Rhubarb

“Whether you prefer the brilliant Schiaparelli pink of tender early forced rhubarb, or the creamier, duskier hue of the more robust later crop, rhubarb is probably about as Yorkshire as it gets. I once traipsed a whole boxful down to London on the train as a surprise for fellow Yorkshire chef James Martin, the first time I appeared on Saturday Kitchen.

“The county boasts its own ‘rhubarb triangle’, an area of West Yorkshire where the forced rhubarb has been awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Commission’s Protected Food Name scheme, aligning it with Champagne and Parma ham.

“I’ve used rhubarb – much of it grown in our own gardens here – in both sweet and savoury recipes many times over the past 13 years at the Pipe and Glass – a perennial favourite, though, is my ginger-burnt cream with stewed rhubarb and East Yorkshire sugar cakes.”

Fish and shellfish

“I grew up in a fishing town, and I’ve talked elsewhere in this issue of The Pantry about how important to me that heritage is. Most of the fish that we use in our kitchen is from this coast, and sea trout from Filey or Scarborough is one of my favourite seasonal treats in the summer – the delicate flesh is simply exquisite when presented raw in a tartare, such as my beetroot and East Yorkshire gin-cured sea trout with pickled cucumber, crème fraîche, apple oyster fritter and garden herbs.

“But there’s more to the seas around Yorkshire than just sea trout – how about Scarborough woof, a firm and pearly-fleshed fish similar to cod that I like to serve poached in cider or with seaweed fritters and brown crab mayonnaise? Or some shimmering local mackerel, which is absolutely delicious simply filleted and grilled – and my smoked mackerel Scotch egg is an absolute winner.

“We also have magnificent local shellfish – scallops, crab and lobster are abundant round here. If you’re not the most confident of cooks, take a look at my crab sticks recipe, which you can find on our website as part of my potted crab with blood orange and pickled fennel salad and brown crab sticks dish. Ridiculously delicious and so easy, I promise!”

Game

“When you live in a rural area, it’s hard not to love game – and there are plenty of local shoots around here to supply most of what we need. Those delicious flavours of pheasant, grouse, venison, and occasionally the slightly more rarefied hare and woodcock: they’re all around us, and part of the tradition and heritage of the area.

“The ‘Glorious 12th’ – that day in August when grouse first comes on the menu – is always exciting for me. It’s the date that heralds the beginning of autumn, when game is at its best.
“I have a whole game section in On The Menu, with recipes for hare, pheasant, rabbit, partridge, wood pigeon, venison and duck – all lean, healthy, sustainable meats. We’re increasingly (and rightly) seeing meat as a treat, rather than as a daily staple. I think the world would be a better place if more of that meat was game.

“And sometimes, it’s brilliant to mix game with the seafood I was talking about earlier – my rabbit rissoles with a cockle and caper dressing (in On The Menu) might sound like a flavour clash, but it prompted the country’s leading restaurant critic, Jay Rayner, to say: ‘It raised an eyebrow on the menu, but not on my plate.’ Love that!”

PUBLISHED :November 2019
TAGS : FOOD
View the latest issue of The Pantry online

STORIES & RECIPES

Introducing InnSpire

Honey, honey…

At the races with the Pipe and Glass

Dark chocolate honeycomb bites

food served

BAR OPEN

CONTACT

DIRECTIONS

SUBSCRIBE