MEET THE CHEF – ROSS GEACH, PADSTOW KITCHEN GARDEN
What’s your earliest food memory? Cooking mackerel with my Grandad at the farm – he used to pan fry it and baste it, with lots of sea salt, white pepper and fresh lemon. I still love catching and cooking mackerel in this way at the farm now with the family.
Did you always want to be a chef? No. I wanted to do something outdoors! Although, pretty much as soon as I did my first shifts in Rick Stein’s restaurant washing dishes when I was very young, and I got to try some of the food and enjoy the buzz of the kitchen and the chef camaraderie I was hooked. I’d see the ingredients coming in from local farmers and fishermen and the chefs working out how to put them on the menu, and I worked my way up through the ranks from there.
What’s your favourite thing about/ working in Cornwall? The range of amazing produce from the land and the sea, and the ever-changing seasons and weather. Being at the farm, I see the landscape change so dramatically with the seasons and the impact this has on what we grow and eat.
What’s your favourite ingredient to work with and why? Pork from our pedigree large black pigs at the farm. One of the things so special is the way the meat changes throughout the year, and how I can create different dishes because of this, it’s really different to buying meat from a supermarket. So for example in the winter the joints and chops will have more fat on them because the pigs will shelter more which makes them really soft and perfect for braised dishes with beans and winter veg. In the summer, this means the meat is more lean and we can use this in something like a summery pork chop with salsa recipe.
Who are your favourite Cornish food producers/suppliers? I use Cornish sea salt on everything – their different blends are perfect for any dish. I love sourcing fish from local day boat fishing boats – traditionally catching fish in the way they have been for generations.
Is there a go-to dish you’d recommend for home cooks hosting at Christmas? My top tip for Christmas home cooks is to keep it simple and prep as much as you can in advance across the few days before Christmas. The only thing that really needs cooking on the day itself is the meat, and the fresh greens. If you’re not keen on (or bored of!) Brussel sprouts, I really recommend cooking kalettes – they’re still quite unknown to lots of people. Kalettes are bred using traditional methods – crossing a Brussel sprout with a really tasty kale, so it gives a lovely nutty flavour which is perfect for Christmas.
Photo’s: Frankie Thomas
