ANTHONY BYROM, executive head chef at the Three Crowns Restaurant and Inn at Scouthead, looks forward to summer strawberries as they scoop second place in a national competition
Here I am again last minute with my blog; I find running a busy kitchen a breeze compared to putting words together for the paper. But the encouraging comments I’ve been getting are inspiring nonetheless.
So what’s been happening at The Three Crowns? Well, we placed second overall in the national Pilsner Urquell taste competition which was a massive achievement for us. Without sounding bitter, the chances of us clinching top prize of £10,000 worth of advertising in a London based newspaper were always going to be slim….but congratulations to the Blue Anchor in Hammersmith.
So I guess now after the longest day has passed that summer is upon us. The weather has been temperamental but that’s nothing unusual. The past bad weather put a massive delay on most of the seasonal products and I think my suppliers are getting fed up of me phoning up asking when certain products are going to finally be available.
English asparagus has all but dried up, and I got my last bag of stunning wild garlic delivered by our young waiter ‘Jimbo’ who kindly foraged the freebie from his girlfriend’s garden.
Wimbledon has begun which means one thing to me: English strawberries! Synonymous with summer, the British strawberry season begins with the arrival of early season, fruit grown under cover.
Imported strawberries, now sold for most of the year, are picked while slightly under-ripe to ensure they do not turn into mush during transportation. However strawberries do not ripen after being picked and so imported strawberries are often hard and have an undeveloped flavour – a pale imitation of in-season British strawberries.
I’m not about to start reeling off loads of recipes in this day and age where everyone has access to the internet, but if you can get the time I would recommend making strawberry jam.
Buy the jam sugar from any supermarket and follow the instructions on the side – I’m sure you will be amazed at how simple it really is, and a batch of scones takes half an hour from start to finish. Failing that just smothering the red juicy berries with rich clotted cream is a real treat.
Keep a look out for the new season beetroots that should be about now – the vibrant candy striped and golden beets make a delicious and colourful addition to any summer salad, finished with some crumbly goat’s cheese over the top.
I just bake my beets like a jacket spud with the skin on, treat them to a bed of salt and herbs, then roast in a medium oven till you can easily poke a sharp knife into the centre, leave to cool, rub off the outer layer and chop as desired dress with sherry vinegar & honey.
Enjoy!
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