On Wednesday 11th August, we took a trip to a lovely organic farm in Launceston called Newhouse Farm.  Whilst they don’t supply us with anything, Steve and Jo, the farm tenants for over 30 years, are always happy to give up a day to show the apprentices around the farm and explain to them the processes of organic farming.

After coffee and lovely homemade biscuits, the day began with an introduction from Steve and Jo who gave a brief overview of the background of the farm and how they moved into being organically certified and what that actually involves.  They rear dairy (Friesian) and beef (Aberdeen Angus) cattle, and LLeyn sheep.  They also grow fields of oats and peas and grass and clover for stock feed.  The clover and the peas put nitrogen back into the soil.   They use a complex crop and stock rotation to ensure maximum soil fertility. 

Steve Colwill with our apprentices.

Not only do they rear livestock, but they also run a lovely little cafe on the farm which they grow lots of garden veggies for, just a couple of metres away!  As well as this, Jo runs quilting workshops and puts on exhibitions. 

Following Jo and Steve there was a presentation by Martin Davies of Davies Organic Consultancy who has worked with the farm for the last couple of years.  He explained to the students what being organic actually means, the official certifications of being organic and how diseases, pests and soil fertility are controlled and maintained.

Martin Davies speaking to our apprentices.

Before splitting into 2 groups the apprentices were also given a talk by Phillip Warren of Warren’s Butcher’s.  The butchery is only 10 minutes drive from the farm so the lambs that he buys from Jo and Steve have not travelled far at all in their lifetime, as the abattoir is also within close range.   Philip explained to the apprentices that farming should be about sustainability and that stock should be reared on farmland that is most suitable for their breed.  Otherwise that breed won’t thrive.

With all the talks done, everyone went into the yard to meet some of the sheep whilst Philip talked through the process of rearing them and pointed out the different cuts.  One group were then taken on a tour of the fields by Steve whilst the other group stayed behind and did organic taste testing with Martin.  We then all broke from some delicious lunch in the cafe (pasta bake followed by summer fruit crumble) before swapping groups.    

There was a short quiz at the end before we got back on the bus.  We stopped off quickly at Phillip Warrens before heading back to the Bay.  A great day was had by all, and big thank you must go out to Jo and Steve for their time and hospitality. 

To see all of the photographs of the day please visit our Flickr Facebook Page.  Photography credit:  Simon Burt

Big Love

Jo. x

The deadline for applications for our chef training programme closes at the end of August, so if you, or someone you know is interested in applying then you need to get your applications in to us over the next few weeks. 

Our current intake of apprentice chefs

Before you apply though, here’s some things you need to know.  We can only accept applications from people who fit the following criteria:

• Aged 16-24
• Out of work
• Out of education
• Live in Cornwall

If you are eligible and have a real interest in cooking, no matter what you’re background, then we are happy to hear from you – just fill in our online application form and we’ll be in touch. 

Just take a look at some of our current apprentices to see what they have to say about the programme.

Good Luck

Jo. x

On Friday 23^rd July, I joined our apprentices on the sourcing trip to the Primrose Herd.   The farm is run by Bill and Sally Lugg who had a complete change of careers 16 years ago when they set it up -  Bill was a plumbing and heating engineer and Sally was a bank manager!

Bill and one of his boars

The farmland is in Busveal near Redruth and we all met at the small church room at Gwennap Pitt.  Gwennap pit is an open air amphitheatre in the middle of the hamlet and was used as a Methodist preaching place in the late 18^th century.  Bill gave a brief overview of the background of Primrose Herd before we all split into three groups, seeing each part of the process as follows:

Farm tour:  The Lugg’s have three separate areas of farmland within a small vicinity so it’s easy to get from one to the other.  We toured all three fields, firstly visiting the sows who were just 2yrs old, but soooo big!  I’ve never really got up close and personal to pigs before and didn’t realise just how big they got!  They’re pretty scary really as they’re so strong and heavy and as Bill explained, they can do a lot of damage!  Needless to say I kept my distance.  There were a couple of sows, each with their own litter of at least half a dozen piglets or weaners as they are called when they are between 3-5wks old.  They were so cute and you could tell that they were really happy as they skipped across the field.  When you see them like this is hard to imagine their fate!  But at least you know they’ve had a good life. 

Sausage Making:  The farm’s sausage making unit is very small and is just a few feet from their bungalow.  The apprentices got hands on in making strings of sausages with the help of Sally and we later lit the barbeque and enjoyed hot dogs.  I tried to forget where they came from……

Gwennap Pit:  There was some time for each group to explore the pit and also do some cooking.  If you walk the rings of the pit to the bottom and back up again, that’s said to be a mile.  Many of our apprentices completed it and got an official certificate to confirm it!   To go with the sausages that the apprentices made at the unit, we had some focaccia bread and some delicious chutney that some of them had made back at the restaurant.

Apprentice Steve gets to grips with sausage making

To end our visit, Karl had prepared a quiz for the apprentices.   I’m pleased to say all three groups did really well and had obviously been paying attention whilst touring the farm.  The day was captured by photographer James Ram and can be seen by following this link

Thanks Primrose Herd for a great visit.

Jo. x

Part of our chef training programme at Fifteen Cornwall is to take our apprentices out on sourcing trips so they can meet the suppliers of the food that we use and see how it’s produced before it is delivered to us at the restaurant. 

On Friday 9th July our apprentices were invited to visit the Cornish Duck Company near Truro. I wasn’t around to be able to join them that day unfortunately but here is Karl Jones’ (Training and Development Chef) account of what happened on the day.

On arrival the owners of the farm, Roger and Tanya introduced themselves and gave a brief overview of the farm business.  The apprentices were then split into three groups – each seeing a different part of the duck farming process as follows:

1.  Breeding process:  The apprentices were talked through the breeding and hatching process and were able to see some day old ducklings.  They were given a talk on the natural beginning of the egg, to it being laid, to it being incubated and finally to it being hatched. 

2. Meat production:  The ducks in this section are from day old – to 2wks old and the apprentices were talked through each stage of the ducklings life from youngest to oldest.  They were then taken to the processing room to be talked through the killing, plucking and waxing stages of the process.

3. Cutting unit: Roger and Tanya talked through what can be done with the ducks that they produce, and provided a demonstration on basic portioning of the ducks which led on to other methods such as boning out a leg.  The apprentices were able to get more hands on during this process and were joined by a French chef who discussed different ingredients that complimented duck as well as the different uses of duck eggs in cooking. 

Having seen the various processes involved in raising the ducks for commercial use, all the apprentices got together again to enjoy lunch.  Apprentices Steven Boot and Greg Lewis had brought with them some delicious chutney which they had made back at the restaurant, and year one graduate Michael Mallet who has been working at Fifteen Cornwall as a professional chef for the last two years, had also brought along some Fifteen Style Italian bread and some salad leaves and everybody tucked in as they discussed what they had learnt. 

These sourcing trips are invaluable to our apprentices who learn so much by understanding the process from ‘field to fork,’ so we’d like to thank Roger and Tanya for taking the time to show them around their farm.  To see all of the photos from the day just visit http://www.facebook.com/editalbum.php?aid=188261&add=1&id=6717857466#!/album.php?aid=188261&id=6717857466 

The next sourcing trip will be in a couple of weeks at Primrose Herd so check back to see an update on how they all got on.

Thanks  

Jo.

Part of the chef training programme here at Fifteen Cornwall involves team building events for our apprentices.  It’s really beneficial for them to get out of the kitchen once in a while and work together on different activities, learning to bond together in a less stressful environment.  It’s a rigorous programme that we run here, condensed into 12 months in an extremely busy kitchen, so some time out now and again is really necessary!

So, recently our Welfare and Support Manager Matt Thomas, who is responsible for taking care of the needs of the apprentices outside of the kitchen (things like housing issues, anger management, counselling etc.), arranged for them to do a surf safari with Carl Coombes, Sports Manager at the Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay.

The day started with a meet and greet with the lifeguards here at Watergate Bay who do a fantastic job of patrolling the beach, ensuring everyone’s safety in the water during the busy summer months.  The apprentices were given a talk by the lifeguards and learnt about what their jobs involved, before checking out all of the equipment that is needed to run a successful operation on the beach.  It was then in to the water for a surfing lesson with Carl and each of them had a really fun time.  It doesn’t take long to build up an appetite though when you’re burning up all that energy, so after getting out of the water the apprentices stopped for lunch, before heading back to the beach for some volleyball and softball and finally it was back into the sea for more surfing, body boarding and swimming!

Keep an eye on the blog for the next update on the apprentice’s team building days. 

Thanks

Jo. x

Last Saturday I was talking to a lovely couple here in the restaurant during dinner. We talked about wine matching with food and I offered to put some more ideas on the blog, so Mr and Mrs O’Meara here goes:

We were specifically discussing seafood risotto which is a dish we often have as part of our tasting menu in the evening. Our wonderful chefs here make the dish with a variety of fish and shellfish and the base is often a lovely shellfish stock. So you have the fresh fish combined with the rich sweetness of the stock.

Risotto di Ostricne

For this style of dish you need a wine with enough fruit to work with the sweetness of that stock and as the dish is also fairly rich you will need a good jolt of lively acidity to work as a foil to the flavours.  Here are some suggestions for wines to match, I have listed specific wines from our list but they will work well with other good producers from the same regions:

Martín Códax Albariño, 2008, Rías Baixas, Spain. Albarino is a grape grown up in the top left hand corner of Spain in Galicia. It survives the relatively cool and damp climate well and gives a wine with creamy fruit and lifted acidity

Laurenz V ‘Friendly’ Grüner Veltliner, 2008, Wachau, Austria. Grüner Veltliner is an Austrian speciality, the grape is capable of producing age worthy  wines but in its youth it makes wine with an attractive hint of white pepper on the finish. Cool climate gives a wine that is a great alternative to the ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc.

Pewsey Vale Riesling, 2009, Eden Valley, Australia. This part of South Australia makes some fantastic dry Rieslings. Riesling is a grape that needs a long cool growing season and they achieve this here because the vineyards are nearly 500 meteres above sea level. Lemon and lime fruit.

Domaine La Croix Gratinot, Picpoul de Pinet, 2009, Coteaux de Languedoc, France. This is in a similar vein to the previous wine, so we’ve got fresh lemony fruit backed up by bracing acidity. Picpoul is the name of the grape used to make the wine and although the region is hot and dry the delicate aromatics and acidity are preserved thanks to the cooling influence of the nearby Mediterranean.  Heather who works with me here on the wine team says it’s just like the squeeze of lemon you put over your seafood, I think this is very apt. 

I hope this gives you all some insight into what wines to look out for when matching with food.

Bye for now

Gordy.

Recently I was lucky enough to have a visit from David Hohnen, a winemaker from Australia with a serious pedigree. He started out at Cape Mentelle in Margaret River in 1969, then he moved to Marlborough in New Zealand in 1984 where he was one of the founding partners in a property called Cloudy Bay which will be familiar to some of you for its Sauvignon Blanc.

David is now back in Margaret River where he is working on a project with his brother in law, Mchenry Hohnen. The winemaking at the property is being done by his daughter Freya still keeping things in the family.

David with his daughter Freya who has taken over the winemaking

We tasted some of his range with him here by the beach and it is always fascinating to taste and discuss wines with one of the actual winemakers, it gives us real insight into the whole process and brings us closer to the wines themselves. David is such a gentleman and it was a privilege to get him here. We currently list 2 of his wines:

McHenry Hohnen ‘Calgardup Brook’ Chardonnay, 2008

McHenry Hohnen ‘Tiger Country’ Red, 2005

I love the Chardonnay for the purity of its fruit and the subtle creaminess from the oak influence.

The Tiger Country is a very unusual blend of Tempranillo (usually found in Spanish reds especially Rioja) Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot (the last two originally from Bordeaux). The wine is savoury and the Petit Verdot which is difficult to get fully ripe brings depth and a spicy note.

Tiger snakes can be found in the vineyards at Margaret River

The wine is called Tiger Country because of the large Tiger snakes to be found in the vineyard so if you ever visit, make sure you’re wearing boots!

Best Wishes

Gordy

Last Thursday, our good friend Justin Lee Collins came to the restaurant to help us send our Cohort 4 graduates on their way into the big wide world at an emotional graduation ceremony. This special event was held on the beach here at Watergate Bay and we all had a brilliant time celebrating with our suppliers, supporters, friends and families as the 10 graduates marked the end of their time at the restaurant.

Justin with our ten graduates

Justin arrived in the early afternoon and spent time with the graduates, meeting the new cohort (who have already been with us for two months now) and taking part in photo and media calls.  During lunch, he even put on some Fifteen Cornwall chef whites and got stuck in on the pasta section! 

The private ceremony was held in the afternoon and was hosted by the CEO of the restaurant and foundation Dave Meneer to a packed house of over 250 guests.  A short film of all of the graduates made by students from University College Falmouth was shown to the audience before each of them walked up to the stage to collect their special Fifteen dog tags from Justin.

So it was goodbye to Ben Sleep, Chris Angove, Dean Turner, Jake Coleman, Jake Higgins, Jake Williams, Lee Russell, Liam Dodgson, Paul Hesson and Shane Wilkes who have now flown the nest  – we’ll help them to find full time employment and we hope you’ll join us in wishing them all the very best in their new careers as qualified chefs!  

To see all the photographs from the day join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fifteencornwall
Photos:  www.simonburtphotography.com

Hello again. Just a quick update on what I’ve been up to. I have recently returned from a short trip to Verona in Northern Italy. I went as a guest of Liberty Wines (one of our favourite suppliers) to Vinitaly. This is the largest Italian wine trade fair of the year, and as we are a restaurant very interested in all things Italian, it’s one of the highlights of my year.

The scope of the fair is absolutely vast, nine exhibition areas each one several acres in size! I was there for three and a half days and really only scratched the surface. I made sure I got around to all our favourite winemakers and really tried to explore and find new and exciting wines.

This will sound ridiculous but tasting up to 80 different wines a day can be exhausting, especially when it’s followed by a long Italian dinner in the evening (I know, sounds like hell!!).   One of the highlights of the trip was dinner at the Villa Della Torre, a stunning renaissance villa in the Valpolicella hills above Verona, owned by the Allegrini family (northern Italian wine royalty).

Villa Della Torre

 
It really is an amazing experience and I always come back buzzing with loads of new ideas. The sheer scope of Italian wine is immense and to be involved and learning about the wines at such an interesting point in their history is truly inspiring. With the improvements in wine making technology and the realisation in many areas that quality, rather than quantity is the way forward, there really has never been a better time to be working with Italian winemakers.

In my next post I’ll be talking about some of new wines I found…stay tuned!

 Hello

It’s Gordy here again bringing you the second installment of my blog.  This time I’m focusing on a couple of new wines that we’ve just introduced to the restaurant.  Both have just gone onto the wine list and whilst they are very different, both are fantastic examples of wines from their respective regions.

Firstly,  a wine from Sicily: this wine comes from a producer called COS in the South East of the island and consists of a blend of two indigenous grape varieties; Nero d’Avola and Frappato. The wine is named ‘Pithos’, which is a Greek word for amphora as the wine is fermented and aged completely in Spanish clay amphorae.  There is minimum intervention and very low sulphur dioxide usage (an anti-oxidant used by all wine makers). The wine is fresh, with vibrant cherry fruit and acidity; we paired it with and a saddle of lamb on our evening tasting menu and the general consensus was that it rocked!

Secondly we were lucky enough to taste the latest vintage release from Pol Roger Champagne.  The folks from Pol are really excited about this wine, saying it combines the acidity of ’96 with the fruit of ’98. It is utterly delicious. Elitist? Maybe… but a wine with amazing depth and complexity and a fine example of its kind, giving toasty brioche flavours in spades.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog and I look forward to talking to you more about wine……and if you’ve any questions you like to ask me on the subject,  just email Jo at jo@fifteencornwall.co.uk with your details and I’ll answer them through this blog. 

All the best

Gordy