Head chef Adam Clark enjoyed a beautiful sunny walk in St Agnes this week.
Spring has arrived in Cornwall. The landscape is beginning to burst into colour - lots of lush greens dotted with beautiful yellow flowers. Out on my walk I took in fields of daffodils, dandelions, gorse and some lovely lesser celandine. The little yellow flowers on this very common perennial herb are among the first to show in the spring. The lesser celandine is also known as the spring messenger, as it appears - without fail - in the last week of February. The flowers and leaves are edible and taste good raw in salads. Its small leaves are shaped like horseshoes or love hearts - depending on your viewpoint - and make an attractive garnish on starter dishes.
Just outside my dad’s house, I found some great patches of hairy bittercress, which is not hairy at all! Nor sharp to the taste! In fact, when young as it is at the moment hairy bittercress can be eaten whole - flower, leaf and stem - and has an excellent spicy flavour, somewhere between mustard and cress. It's lovely raw in sandwiches, great in any salad or mixed with cream cheese.
Out on my walk I found sorrel in abundance, which is very common throughout the British Isles. Sorrel has a real tang to it that reminds me of apples. Yes, it's like eating the skin on apples - quite refreshing to eat while your on a long, hot sunny walk. The leaves are great for shredding and folding into an omelette at the last moment. I have also found that a fish sorrel sauce goes very well as an accompaniment to fishcakes.
I couldn’t resist taking a photo of some bright gorse flowers growing in front of a quintessential Cornish tin mine beneath a clear blue sky. Look carefully at the photo and you will see, just above the roof, the moon still high in the sky at 2pm! Gorse flowers get quite a bit of kitchen attention at Bedruthan too. Last year, we made a great ice cream and this year we will be adding its delicate flavour - reminiscent of coconut - to other recipes too, so watch this space!
I have included for you a nice photo of the famous rock near St Agnes head called ‘Man and his Man’. If you have never done the cliff walk at St Agnes, I recommend it; the scenery is breathtaking. And hey, keep an eye out for some of the aforementioned little treasures - you might be able to collect your tea on your way home!
Well, that’s it for this week, apart from to tell you that Sous Chef Adrian has made some delicious Alexanders Vodka that you will be able to find in the bar at Bedruthan. Pop along one evening to try a Forager's Mojito and feel inspired to take a foraging walk of your own.
2 comments:
Those are some nice Cornish flora displays. I'd love to visit Cornwall someday and maybe stay in the hotels in Cornwall. :)
A stay in Cornwall in the spring is magical...come!
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