Reach for the stars and plan B

Sorting through old photos, I found this old publicity shot of me. I'm not quite sure when and where was taken, although I think it was Holdsworth House near Halifax, where I worked back in the 1990s. It shows a young chef with ambition and the same passion for cooking great tasting food exists to this day, with the legs just a little more weary!

I am so pleased to have our local and ethical sourcing plan in place now. Feasters at our April shared supper loved the lamb from Salt of the Earth near Sourton: it did taste exceptional. More of their meat is to come this Summer, along with vegetables and herbs from our at home 'potager'. This is all up and running now and will mature during 2025.

So plan B..... while we're still mourning the loss of The Voting Tree, our plan is to focus on this summer's at Rumleigh Farm and the Tamar Valley Vineyard and return in autumn with a Supper Club at our home, with a table for 10 once per month on a Friday and Saturday night. (This might remind some of you of our de la Torre's Friday Saturday Nights finish at home meals during Covid lockdown and beyond!)

The menu will reflect the seasons and change each month. We have sneaked in a date in June (28th) to trial this idea to see if guests and we like the idea. There are still places available, if you fancy being one of the first to try Birland Feasts At Home. Great tasting food and company - and you can still BYO. We think at £36 per person, this is excellent value for money. Here's the menu to tempt you...

Amuse bouche

• Zucchini fritter - saffron aioli

To start

• Looe day boat Red mullet saltimbocca - fennel ragu - sage butter 

Main course

• Peter Tavy guinea fowl stuffed with apricots and pine nuts - confit leg meat - roasting tray reduction and tarragon

and from the garden

• Swiss chard and spinach gratin

• New potatoes, artichokes, peas, broad beans and pancetta (the latter from Italy!)

Dessert

• Rum baba - blackcurrant and licorice ice cream - vanilla cremeux - chrystalised Sweet Cicely

  
  

As always, everything will be made by me from scratch. If we're inside, it's an open kitchen so you also get to see a bit behind the scenes. However, we hope that you'll be able to dine outside in one of our garden areas if the weather is good.