Welcoming autumn on our plates
The arrival of autumn means shorter cooler days, and a transformation of colour along the clifftops and coastline. With new seasonal produce available to forage, both of our restaurants and bar welcome new autumnal menus.
‘Summer almost gently melts away and without realising it we have completely changed the menu without really noticing.’
We had a catch up with our Head Chef, Joseph Fallowfield, he describes and explores what he loves most about bringing autumn onto our menus.
What are some of your favourite autumnal ingredients?
‘From wild blackberries that consume hedgerows, to quintessential English Bramley apple trees which begin to produce an amount of fruit that no one could ever possibly use, to the first of the year’s root vegetables that are welcomed back onto the kitchen work stations.’
How do you begin to create a new seasonal menu?
‘Well our menus aren’t just guided by the today’s season, but also by memory. I was brought up in a small village where blackberries almost completely took over our usual dog walking haunts, because of this they have always held a soft spot in my heart. We use these wild berries so much.’
‘For example; we make a spiced cordial which goes into a gin cocktail at Marconi’s bar, we make a blackberry and apple jelly to go with our local cheeses and also for a frangipane tart at Sunday lunch. My personal favourite from Fallowfields is our wild blackberry and yogurt panacotta which we serve with candied pistachio, gingerbread and a sorbet made from blackberries and red wine.’
What do you love most about autumn?
“I relish using ingredients which have short seasonality periods, like an unexpected heatwave mid October, it makes them even more special.”
The perfect opportunity to taste this new season is with our ‘taste of the season’ three night offer, which includes two courses at both our restaurants, and a complimentary seasonal cocktail at Marconi’s.
Or why not dive into the flavours of autumn with our five course tasting menu, view our autumn sample menu here.