HUNTER-GATHERING: wild & fresh food

Of Truffles & Rabbits: Hunter Gather Cook Videos.

Tuber Aestivum: Sussex Black Gold, October 2014.

Last January, there was a new addition to the our family: a scruffy mix of Norfolk terrier x Jack Russell. B was a mere 10 weeks when we got her, having never hada dogs before, it was a daunting prospect indeed, but it was to prove one of the best decisions we ever made. As the propreiter of a Foraging and cookery school, i felt it would be great to involve B in the business somehow- the obvious choice for a terrier would be for rabbiting or ratting (the later unlikely to feature on the menu...), but why not a truffle dog? A lot of people  thought the idea of training such a ferret to hunt truffles was a ridiculous notion and unlikely to come to fruition. As it turned out, I like a challenge...

Along with a bit of help from a friend and the queen of truffles herself, Melissa Waddingham, who introduced me to the forager's holy grail back in 2011 for an article I did on her for the independent, I set about 7 months of intesive truffle dog training.

After, moving training from the living room to the garden and then to the woods, I felt that B was ready to embark on her first truffle season- she was working well and it was time to upgrade. Its hard to put into words the first foray to the truffle grounds with the little ferret and quite the elation I felt when she found her first truffle and the dozens she has found since. She has come a long way in her first year, and we couldnt be prouder of what she has achieved, so much so that we honoured her by making her a Hunter Gather Cook Instructor. It has never been my intention to sell the truffles she finds, they are primarily for use at the school and whatever is left goes to friends or our local- The Ram inn in Firle, in return for beer and fillet steak for B. Bartery is still a valuable currency round these parts. 

B may be a working dog, but she certainly enjoys her work, I think the video below illustrates that perfectly- she's a happy little soul and when she isn't tearing it about at 100mph, she is at least semi professional- but we still have a way to go!

 

On Another note, we at Hunter Gather Cook have had the pleasure of doing some videos with Vice Munchies, here is the first installment from earlier this year on how to butcher and cook wild rabbit at our Treehouse HQ, pleased to say it has racked up an astonishing 63,000 hits! Not bad for some feral folk from the woods...

Lets Cook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Cocktails & Hedgerow Infusions.

I could never understand why my father insisted on picking sloes. Every Autumn the whole family would head for the hedgerows to fill our buckets with the small blueberry-esque tart fruit. My 7-year old self couldn’t grasp the value of such an astringent berry tucked away amongst such viscious thorns, but of course, I was a good few years away from my first sip of sloe gin.

Things have come a long way since then, both in terms of ingredients and methods.  The hedgerows have so much more to offer the booze cabinet than sloes, damsons and elderberries, there are flowers, wild greens and aromatics- even wood has a role to play. At Hunter Gather Cook, we always finish up our seasonal day courses by mixing up some wild cocktails on the top deck of our Tree house HQ. The key ingredient is you: get creative, have fun and by all means, make sure you do plenty of tasting!

Infused spirit or liqueur?

There is a big difference here, sloe gin, for example, is a liqueur. In simple terms any kind of infusion or maceration where sugar is involved in the process is a liqueur. An infused spirit is when you take your fruit, flowers or aromatics and add them to your spirit to infuse without adding any sweetness. It largely depends on what you want to do with the finished product: If you want to make cocktails, its always best to leave sugar out as you can add this later when mixing up drinks in the form of a cordial or simple sugar syrup.

Booze choices:

Choices, choices, choices! There are many hedgerow booze recipes that state you should use the cheapest supermarket own-branded vodka, gin or whisky. To some degree that is true, if you’re making a liqueur, the added sugar will help mask the quality of the final product. If you’re making a simple infusion then go for something a little more upmarket, as there is nowhere to hide! Always bear in mind that your final product is only going to be as good as the quality of the ingredients.

 

Vodka is certainly the best for most infusions or liqueurs. The main reason for this is because it’s a completely neutral spirit, it’s able to take on both light floral or heavy aromatic flavours with ease. For any liqueurs you can go as cheap as you like, but for pure infusions, a good quality grain vodka such as Absolut or Ketel One, will produce excellent end results.

It is possible to use vodka as a base spirit to make your own gin which is essentially a neutral spirit flavoured with a variety of different botanicals- the principal ingredient being Juniper. Other botanicals can include orange or lemon peel, caraway seed, cardamom, coriander seed, star anise, lemongrass, rosemary, bay and so on…

Gin can vary when it comes to which one to use- as its already been flavoured with various botanicals, its best used for fruits rather than delicate floral infusions. Cheap can be cheerful- its worth noting that Aldi’s own brand gin (which costs under £10) came second in the international spirits challenge last year, beating both Bombay sapphire and Hendricks. However, you can’t go wrong with Gordon’s or Beefeater.

Whisky is also best used for fruit such as blackberries, but also wood. Sounds weird? It does. Both whisky and bourbon can be infused with fruity woods such as Apple, cherry or plum. If you whittle down a couple of branches (remove the bark fist!), take the shavings and blowtorch them prior to infusing, the results are a delightfully smoky finish. The shavings, once removed from the infusion and dried out can then be used in the smoker for a whisky finish- thrifty. Again, don’t pull out the Oban or Laphroig for this, Famous grouse is a solid choice.

Infusing methods:

There are three different methods to go about your infusing, whilst traditional maceration will always be a mainstay, you can speed up the process with the other two methods using either heat or pressure:

 

1. Traditional Maceration.

A solid method and one which many of you will be familiar with: Take a kilner jar, half fill it with your ingredients and then top up with your chosen spirit. Seal and stick it in a dark place for anything from 2 weeks to 2 years.

2. Sous vide.

This method uses heat to speed up the extraction process and takes 1 ½ to 2 hours. Don’t feel you need an expensive sous vide machine and waterbath for this- a deep fat fryer filled with water and a thermometer will suffice- you could even keep a close eye on a pan on the hob. You will need some zip lock bags to put all the ingredients in for infusing.

Essentially what sous vide does is A) speeds up the whole process (allowing for plenty of room for experimentation) and B) It simplifies the entire process whilst removing any danger of losing any delicate flavours to the atmosphere. In simple terms, you heat some water to 40˚C, maintain the heat, pour your spirit into a ziplock bag, add whatever you want to infuse it with, suck the air out of the bag, seal and stick it in the 40˚ C water and leave for an hour or two. A great method for berries and botanicals.

3. Cream whippers & Nitrous oxide:

This method uses pressure to aid extraction and dramatically reduces the length of time down to 2 minutes. Basically, it’s a flash infusion: the Nitrous Oxide forces all the air out of the ingredients you’re infusing and the spirit rushes into all the air pockets which then drags all the flavouring with it once the cream whipper is discharged.  This method works best with delicate floral infusions such as elderflower or meadowsweet. Simply half fill the cream whipper with your ingredients, add enough spirit to cover and screw on the lid. Charge once with a NO2 cartridge and leave to stand for one minute. Remove the spent cartridge and reload, repeat the process, only this time, shake it for one minute. Finally, discharge the cream whipper completely, unscrew the top and then pour out the infusion through a sieve lined with muslin into a receptacle.

 

HGC Drinks lab on test day... 

Here are a few recipes to get you started with some different ingredients coming into season in the wild larder over the next few months:

 

Meadowsweet Martini (makes 4 martinis)

Method: Cream whipper.

 

Meadowsweet flowers have a wonderful sweet smell to them with notes of vanilla and almond. Meadowsweet has very high levels of Salicylic acid, which was originally isolated in the plant and produced the first aspirin- so this might not give you a headache if you over indulge!

Take 4 flower heads of meadowsweet and pick off just the flowers, discarding any stalk and place in the cream whipper. Add 250ml of gin or vodka depending on your preference and infuse.

Strain the infusion into a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice, add 75ml of dry vermouth and stir, strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a meadowsweet flower. Everyone has their preference as to their desired amount of vermouth, this is based on a 3 parts vodka to one part vermouth.

Best served sat on the riverbank where you picked the meadowsweet and enjoy while you wait for the evening rise to begin.

 

Rack em, Stack em and Pack em: Meadowsweet martinis lined up on the Treehouse HQ Birch Bar.

Bramble Whisky:

Method: Masceration for a liqueur or Sous vide for an infused spirit.

• For the liqueur, you will need:
• 1.4kg of blackberries
• 200g of white granulated sugar
• 1 bottle of whisky.

Simply place all ingredients in a large kilner jar and give a vigorous shake, repeat every couple of days for 2 weeks. Then leave in a dark place for 3 months before straining and bottling. Improves with age if you can resist! 

 

Blackberry & Apple Hot Toddy. (makes 2)

This is a great winter warmer once you have your blackberry whisky.

 

Juice of 2 lemons

100ml of blackberry whisky

300ml of warmed cloudy apple juice

Honey if needed (depends how sweet you like it!)

 

The Bramble: A Gin-based excuse to use blackberries. 

Ground Ivy & wild horseradish vodka for the perfect Bloody Mary:

Method: Sous vide.

Ground Ivy or Ale Hoof is a very common wild green, it has a pungent herbaceous aroma with notes of sage, mint, thyme and rosemary- it was originally used to flavour beer before the introduction of hops. Wild Horseradish is a very fiery root: The volatile oil, sinigrin, is released upon tampering with and capable of making a grown man weep. Both marry extremely well when infused to vodka, mind you, this really is only for use in a bloody mary!

• 2 handfuls of washed Ground ivy leaves.
• 1 large chunk of wild horseradish root chopped into £1 coin size slices.
• 1 Bottle of Vodka.

The Wild bloody mary.  (makes 2)

 

This is a perfect recipe to make use of all those tomatoes from your greenhouse as the tomato juice is made using freshly muddled tomatoes with a pinch of salt.

• 8 fresh tomatoes
• 100ml of Infused Vodka.
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 12 dashes of Worcester sauce
• 6 dashes of Tabasco
• Salt & Pepper to taste.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the infused vodka, lemon juice, Worcester sauce and Tabasco along with a healthy dose of salt & pepper. Place the fresh tomatoes in a bowl, add a pinch of flaked sea salt and using a muddler (a rolling pin will suffice) pummel the hell out of the tomatoes for a good couple of minutes until pulverised. Strain the fresh tomato juice into the cocktail shaker and stir well. Pour into a two glasses and garnish with a horseradish leaf.

  Woody: The HGC smoked applewood whisky sour. Secret.

Other Stuff:

Well it has been a busy summer! Been well and truly kept away from the office with courses- not a bad thing I suppose! Our Treehouse HQ was over funded on kickstarter and has been a joy to work in this summer- Thanks to all those who helped us get there- You're awesome!  a word to the Bushcraft folk that had a thing or two to say about it on their forum (You really have to read this thread!)- It most certainly does have a Wild Cocktail bar! And the Treehouse diaries is onto it's 2nd print run...thanks for the support gents.

HGC Treehouse HQ. Spring 2014.

I'm very proud to announce that Hunter Gather Cook has its very own Truffler! My furry little daughter B, graduated 2 weeks ago from trainee to practising doggy- not bad for a Jack Russell x Norfolk Terrrier pup. We got her 9 months ago, when she was only 10 weeks old and have been training her every day since. Very chuffed with the little ferret- she's had 3 successful outings so far, including digging up this beast: 

Great work B: Tuber Aestivum or Summer Truffle. Sussex 2014.

 

Kickstarter: Tree House HQ at Hunter Gather Cook.

Happy Spring Everyone!

Finally the end of winter is nigh and already the hedgerows are bursting with early spring greens. Hunter Gather Cook is a hive of activity at the moment with menu planning for our 2014 courses, we have also just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a very special new HQ...

Kickstarter treehouse HD from Nick Weston on Vimeo.

 

Ever since building a tree house and living in it and off the land, it has always been a dream to go back to the roots of where Hunter Gather Cook began and build a tree house HQ in which to run all our courses. Today the project went live on kickstarter, we are looking for £5k to build a 9m by 4m tree house in the woods with a brand new off-grid kitchen. Please have a look at what our tree house vision is here including a nice little video of what we have planned- we have some pretty awesome rewards too, so we may see you up in the trees in May!

As for the arrival of spring, here are some damn fine recipes to get stuck into at this time of year, personally, I would strongly advise the Nettle beer!

• Nettle beer: a refreshing brew that comes out at 6.4% tastes like a cross between cider and a white wine spritzer...ready in 2-3 weeks.
• Wild stinger Pesto Balls: Ideal for those that are vegetarian, even better for those that want something to go with their meat! Goes very well with saddle of rabbit.
• Red Dead Nettle: a spring side dish- coming into season now.
• Potted Rabbit: Now the suns out, rabbit will be out in the fields lining up for the gun- a great recipe to make the most out of your bunnies!

Wild Stinger Pesto Balls.

All our courses for 2014 are online and filling up quickly, so do check out the website to see if anything tickles your fancy. The Deer in a Day course seems particularly popular this year and there are only two dates available- so get in quick! 

We will once again be headlining the deer stage at Wilderness Festival this year, foraging too and we are also doing the Kids camps on the friday and saturday with a limited number of 120 places for an overnight wild food adventure for 8-14 year olds- due to go on sale soon through the Wilderness website soon.

Look forward to seeing you in the woods soon...to the TREES!!

Wild Salsa Verde.

Well, well, well. Been a while, but like many of the wild foods I’ve been in hibernation over winter. Actually both are a massive lie- both the wild food and myself have been fairly active. HGC Private courses have been well underway since mid-January and the wild larder seems under the impression its already spring, so there is plenty around for the keen forager as you are about to see. Although keeping tabs on the early appearance of spring greens, I’ve been more preoccupied with design and planning- our new Tree house HQ which is now  well beyond the design stage and the first components or ‘Hardware’ are currently being forged down the road by the Glynde Blacksmith- Exciting stuff!

Whilst on the subject of tree houses, we will be launching our kickstarter campaign for our new tree house HQ in the next couple of weeks- so watch this space and please get involved- got some pretty fancy rewards lined up as I’m sure you can imagine!

Wild Horseradish: Already on the move...in February!

So, salsa verde…

If you’ve never had the delight of sampling salsa verde, then you should probably change that pretty quick- it is the amalgamation of pure genius for the palate. The direct translation is ‘green sauce’, sounds about as glamorous as ‘gravy’. But then everyone loves gravy.

Salsa Verde does vary from place to place, the classic Italian version includes parsley, capers, garlic, onion, anchovies, olive oil and a dollop of mustard. Other variations on the theme include the Argentinian chimmichurri- a similar grouping of ingredients with the addition of chillis and oregano. In Mexico it includes tomatillos, coriander and jalapenos. Other versions include different varieties of herbage: the frenchies use parsley, tarragon or sage although these days along with the demise of their gastronomic genius, it has become some sort of mayo with tarragon. Béarnaise I think we call it…

Unexpectedly, it is zee Germans that historically have the most ‘wild’ version out there using the following seven herbs: borage, cress, sorrel, chives, chervil, salad burnet and parsley. Even dill, lemon balm and lovage have been used. Well played.

Fresh: (L-R) Alexanders, Three Cornered Leek, Sorrel and Ground Ivy.

Salsa Verde is in essence is a sharp or piquant sauce, green in colour  and designed to accompany meat or fish, it also works well with potatoes. In fact it so good, I’ve even had it on toast and had that ‘secret lemonade drinker’ moment with a spoon before bed. Good shit it most certainly is.

For something that is around 2000 years old, it pleases me a huge amount to be using wild ingredients to re-create an archaic recipe. The issue with many wild food books and the recipes they contain is the lack of adventure found amongst there pages. Don’t get me wrong, both Richard Mabey’s Food for free (1972)and Roger Philips Wild Food (1986) are both very worthy tomes when it comes to getting into wild food, dare I say it they are considered bibles to most hedgerow fondlers. But, as you can see from the original publishing date the 70’s and 80’s were not a culinary high point in the UK…

Many other recent foraging books often with ‘wild’ thrown in to the title somewhere just to reassure you you’re going slightly off the beaten path, sadly don’t vary much on past themes. In order for wild food to really be accepted in the 21^st century and encourage folk to use it in the kitchen on a daily basis, stuff needs to be updated, experimented with and fooled about with. Fortunately there are those out there that are playing around with these flavours and giving them the spin these wonderful ingredients deserve: Hank Shaw in the USA  at Honest-food.net, Mark Williams of Galloway wild foods, Robin Harford of eatweeds.co.uk and our very own head of the kitchen at HGC Dave Fennings of foragesussex.com to name a few.

I have made salsa verde on many occasions, I have even played around with a sorrel verde with my good friend Tom the Hungry Cyclist, but this recipe took a full blown taste test to get it bang on and working just right for the palate.

You would think that because most versions of ‘green sauce’ include parsley, that cow parsley or wild chervil would be on the list. Absolutely not.  Whilst cultivated parsley is very handy, Cow parsley does little to excite the taste buds. In fact nothing. You would be better off eating grass. Also worth taking note- cow parsley is part of the carrot family whose other umbellifered brethren include two nasty lookalikes: Hemlock and Hemlock Water Dropwort which will put you six feet under pretty quickly- the toxic alkaloids respectively Coniine in Hemlock and Oenanthotoxin in Hemlock Water Dropwort are not to be fooled with.

Right, back to the safe wild edibles that you DO want to use. The best thing about this recipe is that the wild components are all very common, plentiful and easy to identify. Taking note from the original ingredients of salsa verde, the following wild plants were selected to take part in accordance with their culinary merit:

Ground ivy:

Also known as Ale Hoof, because it is has a shape resembling a hoof print and used to be used to flavour beer before the introduction of Hops. Needless to say it has a pungent aroma and strong taste- herbaceous in every sense- notes of rosemary, sage, mint and thyme all present when crushed. This is the ultimate wild ‘all herb’ and one of the most useful wild ingredients in the HGC kitchen.

Ground Ivy: Think Horse hoof.

 Sorrel:

Doesn’t need too much of an introduction- this lemony leaf with heavy citrus notes is one of the most versatile of all the wild greens, great with fish, even better with meat. The tang comes from the Oxalic acid present in the plant. Very common in fields and a lover of grassy banks with unmistakable, glossy, shield shape leaves. It has been said the French use it a lot- that’s bollocks, they don’t. Best used raw, as it tends to discolour and lose its punchiness when cooked. Lemon zest really helps to bring out the flavour of sorrel.

  Sorrel: Think Sheild shape.

Three-Cornered Leek:

Wild garlic’s superior cousin. Whilst wild garlic/ramsons/ramps are pretty useful in the kitchen the strength of them means they can often overpower everything else. Three-cornered leek has a slightly more subdued flavour, both garlicky and sweet making it the more desirable option. Often found in the most unlikely of places, the long glossy blades are usually overlooked because at a glance they look a bit like grass or pre-flowered bluebells. So named because if you were to slice one of the 'blades' in half, it has three corners. No mistaking them in flower- very pretty white flowers, perfect for garnishing.

  Three Cornered Leek: Think...well, three corners.

Alexanders:

A non-native, brought over by the Romans as a potherb. Known as ‘the parsley of Alexandria’ due to its Mediterranean origins, Alexanders have settled happily into the UK, mainly near the coast, but I used to harvest a good patch in Battersea Park- see a more in depth post on them from the archives here. Also a member of the carrot family, this one is much more friendly, with a flavour somewhere between parsley and celery with a dose of aromatics which some can find not so pleasant or even ‘soapy’ . When used correctly, such as in this recipe- the combination of the other flavours really make it work perfectly. Over the centuries Alexanders have sadly fallen from favour and been replaced by celery.

  Alexanders: Lining the roadsides round these 'ere parts.

 

Wild Salsa Verde.

(Makes 1 small jam jar- think Maille Dijon mustard size)

 Ingredients:

•  1 handful of Ground ivy
• 1 handful of sorrel
• 1 handful of three cornered leek
• 1 handful of Alexanders
• (All finely chopped)
• 2 TBSP red wine vinegar
• 6 TBSP Olive oil
• 4 Anchovies (finely chopped)
• A few strong twists of black pepper
• ZEST of 1 lemon
• 1 TBSP of Dijon Mustard

Quite straightforward as far as preparation goes on this one, but it depends on whether you are a heathen or not. If you are, then stick everything in a blender and whizz it up on a series of pulses, be careful, as you don’t end up with a pale green baby food. To be quite honest if you’ve taken the time to gather these plants, you can take the time to chop them and mix them by hand- the consistency will be much better and the colour darker. You shouldn’t need to add any salt, as the anchovies will have taken care of that for you.

All of the above plants are out in force at the moment, so well worth going on a wander in between the storms to make a few batches. Should last for up to a week jarred in the fridge if you don’t eat it all in one sitting!

On another note, bookings for all our 2014 courses are coming in thick and fast- there are still a few places left on our first Spring Seasonal Day course on Saturday 26^th April. We are also taking booking for private groups, overnighters and Stag or Hen do’s with a few weekend dates between now and July remaining- please email [email protected] if you want to come and sleep in the trees and eat some seriously fine wild food.

  HGC Staggy: Deer butchery January 2014.

Finally, we have a new member of the HGC team: her name is 'B', she's a bit hairy, currently still in training as a truffle terrier and has a taste for Harveys...

'Sup B.

Hunter Gather Cook: New Tree House HQ 2014.

Sketch of the new tree house HQ at HGC.

Wow. My 200^th post on this here blog. And what a post to celebrate it with!

In January 2009, I began plotting an escape. I had no idea where it would lead or what would happen, but what I did know was that my present situation at the time was in need of an overhaul. The issue was with my working life: 50-60 hours a week doing set design and cheffing for a variety of overbearing bitchy, employers and phsycopathic chefs in London’s events industry was taking its toll on my enthusiasm after 4 years. I had seen some things and learnt some stuff too, but I wasn’t cut out for city life. Concrete jungles did little to inspire me having grown up in the depths of Sussex.  I was out.

Adventure was what I was looking for, but not one that involved a physical journey from A to B. I wanted a sedentary adventure, an existence in a single  place where I could create a simple life that cost virtually nothing but time and effort. Knowledge of the natural world and how to best utilise the landscape around me would be key- but this was nothing new to me and I felt confident that striking out into woods of Sussex with the right tools and a few basic staples, I would not only survive but thrive. Wild places still exist in the UK and you don’t have to go far to fined them.

The Original: The Treehouse diaries. June 2009.

Little did I know, it would be my choice of accommodation that would be central to my way of life. I wasn’t interested in yurts, teepees or benders, I wanted something fancy and different. In a bid to recapture the days of my youth, I opted for something I had always wanted, but as a boy never had the skills or tools to create. A Tree house built from natural and recycled materials.

That’s where the adventure began and my life changed forever. I became a 21^st century hunter-gatherer eating my way through the wild larder. Life was simplified and other than my stomach and living arrangements I had virtually set myself free from the system. Columns and news reports followed, a book was commissioned. Suddenly there were critics and even enthusiasts, I was relatively unbothered by the all of it- I certainly couldn’t deal with it- no wifi in the woods!  I had set out to do something that I wanted to do for myself in whatever way I chose and so that what I carried on doing.

Special Branch: Front cover of Sunday Times Home Section.

Hunter Gather Cook foraging and cookery school was set up in 2011, the plan was to establish the school at the original tree house, a place I had got to know extremely well with a mental map of where to find every wild ingredient and plenty of room for roaming including a river full of fish. Unfortunately, my original bid for freedom and desire for secrecy made logistics of running courses in such a location impossible. Fortunately, with the use of a bit of countryside networking, I soon found the perfect place in which to settle and after 3 years in the same location, a place we still like to keep a little secret only revealed to course attendees, more plans are afoot.

Building the first HGC HQ in 2011.

The HGC off-grid kitchen has been one of the greatest kitchens I have ever had the pleasure to work in. Other than gas rings for heating oil and emergencies, all cooking is done on, in or well above fire. The results produced using various contraptions we’ve built and the finest wild meat from within 5 miles of Hunter Gather Cook speaks for itself. Being at the forefront of what we do means that we are constantly evolving, experimenting and establishing the best techniques for outdoor cookery and how to produce the best food using our native flora and fauna. Our HQ is no exception…

A Treehouse HQ has always been at the forefront of my mind, going back to the roots of where everything began and paying homage to it for giving me a life I never thought could exist is something I will always be grateful for. I have met some truly wonderful folk so far and no doubt will meet many more. Hunter Gather Cook is not just a foraging & cookery school, it is a way of life for those that work there and for those that spend their time there, we live and breathe it and what makes it so worthwhile is to be able to share it with those that come on our courses in the hope that wild food, be it meat or plants, will be used more regularly in kitchens across the country with sustainability in mind.

Sketchy: ideas for the new Kitchen Unit under the treehouse HQ.

Over the last three years Hunter Gather Cook has grown at an exceptional rate, festivals, pop-ups, weddings, stag & hen do’s and wild banquets as well as all our fixed seasonal and specialist day courses are all part of what we do. It feels like the right time for a tree house, we need more space at our ground floor HQ, heading to the trees gives us a split level workspace: upstairs for dining, a bar and overnighters and downstairs for the greatest of outdoor, off-grid kitchens and prep areas with just about every wood-fired appliance you could imagine. It’s going to be epic, but then what else would you expect from a 30ft treehouse?

As ever, Natural materials will feature heavily, recycled? probably not this time! The new Treehouse HQ is being engineered with the help of the wonderful gents at Blue Forest and being constructed by myself and the rest of the HGC team. The aim is to create a unique workspace to engage and inspire everyone who comes down to our neck of the woods.

 So if you booked into come and see us anytime from Mid-April, expect a day amongst the leaves! All our courses for 2014 are now online, visit www.huntergathercook.com or if you would like to enquire about a stag or hen do, corporate day, family day or private overnighter please email [email protected]

 

…to the TREES!!!!

   Illustration by Patrick O'Leary of treehouse life for Flamingo Magazine.

 

Truffle Hunting: The Ultimate Forage...

Proudly displaying my first 'Black Gold'. Sussex. November 2013. 

I do like a bit of a forage- having a nice fondle of the hedgerows for your supper is a timeless activity that all humans, regardless of anything, will always take pleasure in. I wouldn’t say I’m a forager as such because I also forage for my protein, be it meat, fish insect or crustacean, just as much as I do for plants, fruit, nuts and mushrooms. So, for me, Hunter-Gatherer seems more appropriate, forager has murmurings of vegetarianism, although I doubt you would meet many that were, but lets not split hairs!

I’m incredibly happy with the fact I eat meat and even happier that I source most of it myself- I would like to wear a badge that says ‘carnivore’ or have a window sticker that says ‘No Meat, No Meal’. Screw it, I’ll even stick a flag on the top of my house. Its not that I don’t like my greens, because I love them equally, I just think they need something to go with them and vice versa. Eggs are meat too just in case you were wondering, or at least that’s how I treat them. If a mushroom fills the void between protein and veg…

…whats a truffle?

Other than a type of chocolate, it is a subterranean Ascomycete fungus of the genus tuber. So technically it falls under ‘mushroom’, the void between meat and vegetables. I’m sure I don’t have to go into a detailed description, many of you are aware of what a truffle is and that they are synonymous with fine dining, hence spenny to purchase. Gordon Ramshank managed to charge a fortune at his restaurants by putting it on everything, that and fois gras. Lets face it, folk don’t go to his restaurants for his personality.

I’ve never really understood just why it is truffles and people are attracted to one another? Its not like you would substitute it for perfume, but it is one that really appeals in a culinary sense- then again 70% of taste is smell. Truffle aroma is primarily made up of two things: Sulphides and Phenolic ether. It is the balance between these two, the muskiness of the sulphides and the savoury notes of the Phenolic ether. Pure sulphides will smell like canned farts so balance is everything and they can vary from truffle to truffle. To read more about truffle aroma visit this awesome website that will tell you everything you will need to know: http://www.delectations.org/aroma.html

I first got drawn toward truffles a few years ago, after hearing stories that truffles existed in the South Downs. Trying to track down if it was true or not, I went to the local information centre, otherwise known as the pub. There were a lot of blank faces, but then there were also a lot of ‘this one bloke told me…’

Truffle hunting with Melissa. Sussex, 2011.
 

The internet proved more forthcoming, and after reading an article that was in Sussex life, I had a name of a local truffle hunter: Melissa Waddingham. I like to dabble with scribbling from time to time so suggested the possibility of a truffle hunt to the Independent, who agreed. You can read about the adventure that ensued here. 

After spending a wonderful day with Melissa learning about everything Truffle, I was hooked, although there was one major issue, I didn’t have a dog, let alone a pig that I could use as a truffle detector and as such felt it would be a tough one to pursue. What Melissa did explain to me is that there are natural indicators that can narrow things down and put you right on the money. Her first find was without dog or hog. So if you are a bit of a truffle fancier, I would strongly recommend going out with Melissa on a hunt, or if you have a dog, she can train it to do the hard work for you! Get in touch with her here and join one of her next hunts. 

The other day I had a call from Melissa saying that it was a good year for truffles so far and I might want to X and do Y. The South Downs covers a fair amount of land and beyond said murmurings, I had heard about X before as a possible location, so thought it might be time to strike out and lose my truffle virginity.

  The Truffle orchard/haystack: Location X. Sussex. 

When gathering mushrooms and wild plants, you have the pleasure of being able to wander the woods, fields and meadows and spot what you are looking for. Quite how you are supposed to turn up in a wood and find something you cant even see because its underground adds a whole new dimension. Needle in a haystack this ain’t, because the needle’s been buried and the haystack is vast.

This truly is hunting, but not for anything with a vertebrae, a certain amount of ‘tracking’ is involved in the ultimate foray that will lead you to the buried treasure of ‘black gold’. But where do you start?

Melissa putting Zeb to work around a brulee. Sussex, 2011.

Make no bones about it, to hunt a truffle, even if you do have a porcine/canine detector or simply going solo, you are going to need to have a firm grasp of the natural world around you- think of it as putting yourself in the ballpark. Soil, Trees, Vegetation and animal activity all play a large part in tracking a truffle down. Below is my summary of how to track truffles- alas, I am an amateur and I am simply stating my findings- not the courts. Hit up Melissa for professional advice.

The type of truffle we hunt in the UK is the Summer Truffle or tuber aestivum perhaps not of the same quality as a Perigord truffle from France or the white ‘Trifola d’Alba’ from Italy, but personally I couldn’t give a shit: It’s an English truffle and that’s all you need to know.

HGC Instructor Dave 'Smells the earth' on the exact spot of the first find.

Soil.

Calcareous. That means chalky. So naturally, that’s where your ballpark starts. Soil type. Fortunately I live slap bang in the middle of the South Downs between Lewes and Glynde- I have more chalk and flint in my veg patch than I know what to do with

Trees.

This can vary slightly, but some are better than others. Beech is king, but also hazel, hawthorn, ash and elm are quite happy to harbour a truffle or two as long as the soil is calcareous.

Vegetation: Brulees or ‘Burnt areas’.

So you’ve ticked off the first two, now the tracking begins. Once in your chosen woodland on the right soil, you have to observe the vegetation. Most woodlands in the UK have a standard set of ground level plants: Dog’s mercury, brambles, grasses, ivy and moss are all to be found. What you are looking for is a complete lack of this. These spots are called ‘Brulees’ or burnt areas, because nothing grows there. They can be around a tree or in amongst a bunch of trees, size wise- they can go from anything 5 ft to 30ft or be in a strip.

The reason this is such a good indicator, and will likely get you in the vicinity of buried treasure, is because the truffles growing beneath the surface let off VOC’s or Volatile Organic Compounds, basically- potent herbacides that inhibit the growth of any plants, which is why you get a ‘Brulee’.

Examining a brulee: note the lack of vegetation.

Animals.

Once you have found a likely looking brulee, simply stand and have a good look over it for any kind of disturbance. As truffles don’t surface like mushrooms, they don’t have a direct method of spore dispersal. This means they rely on fungivores (animals that eat fungi) to send out their spores. Simply put- animals dig them up, eat them and then shit out the spores somewhere else. Doubtless, we could do the same. Most woodland critters that can dig like rabbits or squirrels are responsible for this. Fresh diggings or slightly older ones that might be visible are good indicators within a brulee that there are truffles below your feet.

Scraping.

Now this is perhaps the most sensitive issue of all and involves a bit of care. All of the above have pointed towards the possibility that you are right on the money, so know the ‘digging’ begins. I must point out at this stage and stress the need for sustainability at this point. The woodland floor is a delicate ecosystem with strands of mycelium, bugs, grubs and a whole host of other things going on. You don’t want to upset this wonderful balance: ALWAYS make sure that any leaf matter or soil you disturb goes back into its rightful place, this is not only good for truffle futures, but makes your impact minimal. As humans, we’ve managed to screw everything else up, but lets not screw this up. Yes?

When looking buried for treasure, it is customary to have some sort of digging instrument, preferably a trowel. Lightly scrape back the leaf litter around your animal diggings until you find bare earth: the truffle likes to be in the soil but will quite often have the top 5^th of it exposed above the soil- think iceberg, so do this delicately and lightly.

Sniffing.

Truffles have a strong smell, familiarise yourself with it. Take some truffle oil with you to hone your sense of smell and get in the mood. When you scrape back the leaf litter you might get an almighty whiff if you’re lucky, otherwise just a tickle. As you scrape sniff the soil: if it smells sweet or truffle like then you are close- keep sniffing the earth. This is a grubby business and you are the truffle hound!

With any joy (and what a joy it is!) you will uncover your first truffle, which could be anything from the size of a marble to a golf ball, or bigger! After you’ve done a little jig and finished fist-pumping the air, REMEMBER to recover any area that you have scraped back as if now one was ever there.

  Trowels out at dawn: Black gold. Sussex, November 2013.

So that’s a basic rundown on truffle hunting sans animals (although they do actually come into it). Its not an exact science and expect a lot of false starts before you may hit the jackpot. You will get proper grubby, sniff more earth than is probably healthy and get very wet knees (not a good look for me and HGC instructor Dave when we went for a celebratory ale afterwards: two lads in from the woods with wet knees and dirty hands? Hmmm.)

Finding your first truffle IS the ultimate prize in foraging. I have never found or shot anything that has caused quite the same level of elation- the buried needle has been found in the vast haystack. It requires patience, observation and a synergy with the natural world around you that can lead to a culinary treat that will have you eating like a king for days. There most certainly is gold in them thar hills…

As for recipes for this one? All you need is some eggs and a mandolin (not the thing Mumford & sons use). You do the maths (yes there is an S there- I’m not a yank).

Heaven.

 

Black Gold on top of the bible.

 Other stuff: 

With Christmas on its way (I know, its November), Hunter Gather Cook Gift Tokens are flying off the shelves- If you want to get one for some lucky person to embark on an adventure in wild food, please contact: [email protected].

The Hunter Gather Cook Tools of the trade.

Mushrooms, Media & Cep Carpaccio.

Hoards of Winter Chanterelles trying to hide.

Mushroom season is one of those wonderful times of year that help make the onslought of winter all that much more bearable. Don’t get me wrong, autumn is a feast for the eyes and the stomach: first fruits, the turning of the leaves, nuts, mushrooms and then, nicely topped of with the shooting season and the HGC larder is graced with pheasant, duck and partridge. I just don’t like winter that much.

At this time of year the countryside is riddled with big smoky fires from all the anal leaf collectors- the smell of autumn fills the air. This is when it gets fun, as the first leaves drift to the ground- often a partially yellow birch leaf, one of the first indicators that summer is on its way out, the mushrooms begin to appear.

  'Shrooms mate, shrooms? Want some shrooms?' Trumpet Chanterelles, Sussex. October  2013.

Just like wine, mushrooms have their vintage years and should be treated accordingly. Certainly not something to hold onto in quite the same way, you can’t keep a cep for twelve years and less it was dried…but I daresay it would be as good. This year is just one of those vintages: 2010 was a pretty good year, for Ceps, hedgehogs, parasols and trumpet chanterelles- this year is shaping up the same. But is it a good year for mushrooms or just a good year for EDIBLE mushrooms?

As anyone who has ever plucked a choice edible out of the ground will concur, there is something strangely electrifying about reaching that point as a gatherer. A patch of ground ivy or a bed of bittercress can be a pleasant find indeed , but it doesn’t hold the same magic felt when that first positive ID hits home and you look down at the fungus in your hand and think to yourself: ‘yes, I’m going to eat you’. Inevitably followed by “but how…?’

Cauliflower fungus- a beast.

For me, mushrooms sit firmly in that void between plants and animals. A class of their own. Obviously there are fish, crayfish and the entire marine larder, but lets stick to terra firma for this one. Shooting/trapping your first animal for the pot is the hunter’s goal- it builds confidence in oneself, a self-sufficientish kind of emotion that is not to be taken lightly- the other emotion that is often evoked in me is one of thanks- respect for the animal who’s life you have just taken in order to indulge in some of the finest meat you will ever taste. Try to explain this to a nine year-old on a kid’s course is always a challenge, especially when all said child wants to do is crack open a bunnies head to see the brains. Respect son. Learn it.

During my time in the tree house I had a particularly inquisitive cock pheasant that used to hang about under the platform during construction, we became (I like to think) firm friends- a two way street of his company in return for what little food I had on offer that was ‘fowl friendly’ (pheasants don’t like rabbit).  As I was deep into a phase of naming things with obscure names, you know- the funny ones- the pheasant was christened Jeff. Jeff was good company and thus avoided my pot on a TBC basis. Sadly, after two months, I found Jeff keeled over on the far side of the wood I was living in. A sad day indeed. Fortunately the spirit of Jeff lives on and can be seen as the feathery Nike tick in our branding… Rest in peace buddy.

The only actual photo of Jeff in existance: boasting his impressive wattle. Lad.

Getting off topic here… Mushrooms. So, as I said, for me they hold the middle ground.

This year has been epic for them, and it seems, so has the press.  Back in August, I was called up by the Guardian to get my opinion on how the wild fruits were shaping up- after a bit of banter with John Vidal, we got into a bit of a discussion, and I made an off hand comment that it was looking like a good mushroom season might be upon us- then the sustainability issues and the mention of the word ‘gangs’ sweeping vast tracts of land for the restaurant industry slipped out.

Off on holiday I went to France, oysters in Hossegor, a bit of Bordeaux then Ceps & stews in burgundy with lashings of Pommard and Cote du Beaune. On the day I returned the Mail had decided to add me as a quote in their mushroom piece and the Telegraph got in on the action too. Then ITV meridian and BBC south got in touch. Mountain…molehill.

Irresponsible reporting as it was, it does happen, but not to the extent that is assumed and you can bet your ass their not all eastern European (the mail’s favourite scapegoat: ‘just garnish that with a bit of xenophobia…’). Sadly the only evidence you will find other than a large amount of people picking with boxes in the middle of the night, is a huge dump of mushrooms in the undergrowth. Click here to see the ITV report.

Sustainability is a key issue we face as hunter-gatherers (foragers are the vegetarians  of the hunter-gatherer world) swiping all the mushrooms in one place IS going to have an impact- you are picking sex organs, and unless they can do what they are supposed to do, gradually there will be less and less reproduction of various species. Just think of it as going around chopping off willies and fannies and expecting the human race to flourish…

Trumpet of death and trumpet chanterelles in Beaune Market, Burgundy.

Guidelines say that you should never take more than 1.5kg per person. I only ever take a kilo, just to be a good boy. On our Fungal foray & feast courses we have been doing over the last month, there has been 14 of us including instructors. technically we are permitted to take 21kg should we choose. We only pick about 6kg. That’s enough to feed everyone and allow our course attendees to take some home to experiment. That’s plenty

One of my pet hates is seeing forager’s on twitter (I wont mention any names, but you know who you are) with overflowing baskets and boxes of mushrooms they’ve turfed out of the ground and then posted pictures of their haul in a form of fungal gloating. Its quality not quantity.This is stupid for two reasons: A) they’ve blatantly broken the law and are advertising the fact (unless there were 5 other people with them, which they fail to point out) and B) it encourages others to do the same. 

Part of the reason we made this short video below is to try to illustrate our beliefs when it comes to mushroom hunting and how to enjoy the hunt just as much as the finds by just being there. Autumn is a beautiful time of year to be out in the woods and looking for fungi is the perfect excuse to be there. Certain scenes reflect an element of sustainability- not picking all the mushrooms you find- leave some in to do there thing. Having permission to actually go to certain places to look for mushrooms is equally important: The HGC network stretches far and wide and we have built up some very good relationships with various landowners and estates in order to do what we do.

 

Adventures in Wild Food with Hunter Gather Cook. from Nick Weston on Vimeo.

 

Cep season may have been and gone, but this recipe here will still be here next year and it is, in my opinion, the best way to truly enjoy the wonderful nutty flavour and earthy notes of a Cep. This is a bastardised version of one I had in Beaune in Burgundy at a wonderful little Cave/restaurant called Caves Madeleine.

Cep Carpaccio.

It can be said that at HGC we carpaccio a lot of things, but then why not? The wild larder often tastes better raw and in its natural state with simply a tickle of other ingredients to showcase it’s incredible flavours. Rather that then copping out by  simply ‘sticking it in a soup or a stew’ where all is lost. As HGC instructor Dave did on our last mushroom course- substitute the parmesan for crispy bacon- amazing. Clever lad.

 

 Jo-Ceppy. Proper fellow.

Ingredients.

• 2 of the freshest, firmest Ceps you can get your hands on.
• Panko breadcrumbs
• A handful of wood sorrel (or lemon zest)
• Freshly grated Parmesan

 For the dressing:

• A good glug of Olive
• A good glug of white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• Salt & pepper

 

Cep Carpaccio being plated up on a HGC Fungal foray & Feast.

Clean you mushrooms well and chop off any dirty bits, slice the Ceps as finely as you can abouth the width of a one pound coin maximum- top to bottom looks best in terms of presentation. Stack the slices in the centre of a plate.

Put the Panko breadcrumbs in a pan and toast until lightly browned. Make the dressing- place all ingredients in a mug and whisk up with a fork- adjust seasoning last of all.

Drizzle the dressing over your Cep stack, sprinkle breadcrumbs and grate parmesan before garnishing with a bit of punchy wood sorrel.

  Cep Carpaccio- epic stuff.

 Other Stuff.

HGC is off into partial hibernation for a couple of months- the wild larder is doing the same but there are still a few bits and bobs about throughout the winter months. We will still be running Private courses throughout the winter- but mainly game based. So to all you hunter-gatherers out there that fancy a bit of wild butchery- the game larder is stocked up- get in touch!

It might be a bit early to mention Christmas, but our personalised HGC Gift Tokens do make very good Christmas presents and are valid for any of our courses next year, so please contact [email protected] if you are interested in purchasing one.

Weirdly, someone gave me one once…!

Staggy, stag, stag, stag. HGC Hq October 2013.

 

Wild Heat: Wild Horseradish & Arsesmart (Persicaria Hydropiper)

Wild Horseradish: Secret spot, Sussex.

Apologies for the lack of update round these parts, but to be quite honest with you, its been a glorious summer- I have been practically living in the woods running courses at HGC HQ…mind you, I would much rather spend my time out in the wild enjoying it than sat in front of a computer- I think many of you will concur!

So, 7 years. 7 Years I’ve been inanely scribbling away about wild foods on this here blog and not once truly covered one of the greatest additions to the wild larder that has ever graced our soil. Horseradish.

Introduced to Britain pre-1500AD, over the years, horseradish has won over the natives of our angry island primarily as an accompaniment to beef. It seems only fitting that this fiery plant has become such a hallmark of British culinary tradition, because...and lets face it, we are a bunch of introvert, angry, whinging folk- we’re just very good at keeping our thoughts to ourselves!

Quite often I will order a roast in a country pub just so I can enjoy a bit o’radish with a Yorkshire pud. Coleman’s hot stuff is fine with me, something of the Tabasco addict coming through. What’s disappointing is when a pub tries to make there own and royally screw it up. Is it that difficult, really?

Horseradish is split into two catagories: Cultivated and Wild. Some of you may remember that delightful love story called ‘the wild gourmets?’ In the book following the series, the rather dishy Thomasina Miers is pictured fondling a rather straight, firm root which is labeled as ‘wild horseradish’- absolutely not. It was in fact cultivated horseradish that was pictured (the TV ‘fluffing’ not quite carrying over into book form) which looks like a fat parsnip and doesn’t contain the same heat as it’s warped, wildling of a cousin.

The twisted 'Donkey ear' like leaves of Wild horseradish.

Wild Horseradish is incredibly common and at this time of year the large, curled ‘donkey ear’ leaves can be easily distinguished from dock on most roadsides and country lanes- that said, you must have permission from the land owner to uproot any wild plant, but given that wild horseradish is more invasive than the Nazis and almost as difficult to get rid of, it probably wouldn’t be missed (but seriously- do get permission).

Roots Manuva.

A good little tip for storing horseradish root once dug up- keep it in a bucket of soil or sand and give it an occasional glug of water- don’t leave too long or it will start sprouting!

Wild horseradish’s difference in appearance to the cultivated variety is awesome: Twisted, knarled roots that zigzag their way into the earth making them a bastard to uproot, but best of all, being the precursor to the cultivar- they are proper fierce. Like, real dangerous. The danger can be found in the high levels of a volatile oil contained in the root called sinigrin, which in itself sounds like Dickensian villain.

Sinigrin is released when the root is tampered with, most violently when it’s grated, not many things enjoy this process I’m sure, but Wild horseradish really lets you know it’s not happy to the point that it’ll make your head bleed. Of course this is all over embellishment somewhat- in the same way mustard gets up your nose, when sinigrin is broken down via cutting or grating it will produce allyl isothiocyanate (mustard oil) which can seriously irritate the sinuses, eyes and mucous membranes. Bear in mind that with in a couple of hours of grating, the volatile oils that make wild hoseradish what it is will evaporate and become bitter and not quite as punchy. And you thought onions where a bitch…

Grated wild Horseradish: Stings the nostrils...

As part of our bushtucker trials on stag do’s at HGC, horseradish takes pride of place after deer testicles. Strange, you may think- after all, what could be worse than a bollock exploding in the mouth? You obviously haven’t tried chewing a chunk of wild horseradish for 2 minutes. We’ve seen grown men cry and even vomit. Danger, danger.

 

The second plant we are going to look at was introduced to me by Mark Williams of Galloway Wild foods: Arsesmart (Persicaria Hydropiper- what a cool name) or Water Pepper. Historically in the UK, this plant hasn’t been used to its full culinary merit, instead it was mixed in with straw or hay bedding as a flea repellent, on occasion a leaf or two might have found its way into a nook or cranny of the sleeping occupant and the residual heat would cause a ‘smarting’ or burning sensation, hence Arsesmart.

Arsesmart or Persicaria Hydropiper: Likes damp places...

Now Arsesmart is really common, most damp places or riversides will often be lined with the stuff, it is something that is really easy to identify: the leaves are long and pointed- similar to willow and the alternate leaves are marked on the main stem by a pinkish/red collar.

Arsesmart is certainly the closest you can get to a wild chilli in the UK, it would appear that despite having several active ingredients, the heat comes from waburganal and rutin producing a pungent taste and slight bitterness- rutin is a  bioflavinoid that is good for circulation- so despite the fierce heat, its actually good for you. Japan seems to be one of the few countries that employ this plant in the kitchen serving alongside sashimi and Kobe beef.

On first taste, not a lot happens, a couple of revolutions of the mouth and a searing heat spreads across the tongue, making it almost unpalatable- ride it out if you can! Here at Hunter Gather Cook we like to show you how to use these plants as everyday ingredients, so with a bit of nip and tuck, here are two ways to transform these spicy freaks of nature into something quite tasty.

Wild horseradish sauce.

This is a mainstay in most of our courses that involve Deer- the perfect accompaniment to a venison burger or even to go with a hefty chunk of pan-fried backstrap.

• 2 TBSP of Grated wild horseradish
• 4 TBSP of Crème fraiche
• 1 tsp of English Mustard (or Dijon if you’re French and a bit of a wuss).
• 1 TBSP White wine vinegar
• Salt & Pepper

 Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well and season to taste. Serve!

 HGC's Venison Carpaccio with Wild horseradish & Sorrel.

 Wild Wasabi:

Trditionally made with the green root of Wasabia Japonica also known as Japanese horseradish, in this case

I took the liberty of popping down the road to Seaford heads to obtain some of the freshest mackeral out of the sea for this recipe. The blowtorch just happened to be lying around…sears a fillet to perfction in less than a minute!

• 1 TBSP of Grated horseradish
• 1 TBSP of finely Chopped Arsesmart
• A pinch of Salt
• Drizzle of olive oil

Place all ingredients in a pestle & mortar and pound vigorously until combined.

 

 

Other stuff.

The Hunter Gather Cook team had an epic 4 days at Wilderness Festival at Cornbury park a couple of weeks back. We had over 150 people in 3 days for Deer Butchery & Foraging workshops followed by wild cocktails and canapés in our woodland lounge. Thanks to all of those who attended and we hope we have released a new breed of Hunter-Gatherers into the wild! Look forward to next year’s Festival where HGC will be going BIG! Check out the photo album from the Festival on our Facebook page.

  

We have a few places left on the remainder of 2013’s courses, our ‘Fish, Forage & Feast’ on the 28^th September at Chalk Springs will be a belter of a day as well as my birthday- so come celebrate with us!

Also our epic Autumn ‘Fungal Foray & Feast’ is almost sold out with a couple of spaces remaining on the second date: Sunday 20^th October.

...to the TREES!

Venison Berbere Skewers- Wilderness Festival 2013.

Wild Infusions, Sous Vide Style: Elderflower Vodka.

I’ve always struggled with Elderflower, it’s good stuff don’t get me wrong- one of the best inductions for many a blossoming forager. The versatility of this deciduous shrub is quite astounding: flowers, berries and even the official host of the Jew’s ear fungi. That’s quite a claim to fame. Here’s my issue, and as pathetic as it may sound, many of you will concur: just like a moody teenager whose favourite band has gone mainstream, the elder has sold out. You only have to ask God (google) for recipes and the results are astounding, but for good reason, and I shouldn’t whinge: It’s damn fine shit.

Over the years, my loyalty has shifted towards Meadowsweet (just coming into season now), something that we have to thank for the birth of aspirin, the flavour is better, but then here I am raving about my favourite band to a small collection of enthusiasts.

So, there are many ways of using Elderflower, especially when it comes to making cordials, infusions and liqueurs. The methods we have are traditional, old school and out dated. No longer do we have to wait two weeks for our homemade version of St.Germain, two hours is sufficient using some of the ‘technology’ we have available to us in this day and age.

At Hunter Gather Cook, Wild cocktails & Wild Brewing are part of the job, so we’re always playing with new methods of getting the best flavours out of wild and getting them into our desired tipples. The age old method of mascerating such things as elderflower, Japanese knotweed and beech leaves is perfectly acceptable and still very relevant, but there is a new method that can be utilized by the wild cocktail afficiendo: sous vide.

Sous vide (meaning literally ‘under vacuum’ en Francais) was first developed in the 1799 by one Sir Benjamin Thompson (although air was the preferred heat transfer medium). It wasn’t utilised again until the 1970’s when it was rediscovered by industrial food preservation experts. Since then the likes of Adria, Heston and Keller have been enjoying its versatility in the Michelin star stakes. This is also damn fine shit. Clearly.

I have been very lucky with my education in mixology: My brother, the same fellow that taught me snaring, fires and shooting (although I always had the upper hand at fishing) now runs Bamboo, a creative drinks strategy agency, based in London and New York, that has got quite the head for such capers. Bartery with wild ingredients have gained me brief access to their drinks lab and wealth of knowledge. Maceration was used as standard in 80% proof to help draw out the flavours naturally as quickly as possible, but sous vide also got a look in.

When you start playing with sous vide and liquids another chapter opens: spirits, cordials, fruit juices and vinegars suddenly become fair game. Essentially what sous vide does is A) speeds up the whole process (allowing for plenty of room for experimentation) and B) It simplifies the entire process whilst removing any danger of losing any delicate flavours to the atmosphere. In simple terms, real simple terms, you simply heat some water to 40˚C, maintain the heat, pour your liquid into a ziplock bag, add whatever you want to infuse it with, suck the air out of the bag, seal and stick it in the 40˚ C water and leave for an hour or two.

What you end up with is a purest product you could hope for in the shortest amount of time. You can go crazy adding different flavours and messing about: Wild horseradish and ground ivy vodka for the perfect bloody mary; Beech leaf and yarrow gin; Sorrel vinegar; haribo cordial (seriously, don’t bother), It becomes quite addictive and no doubt could turn you into a Doc Brown lookalike  with a massive drink problem, its all in the risk assessment. A word on alcohol selection- buy the cheap stuff, your’re going to flavour it anyway.

To accomplish sous vide, the essential component is to be able to heat the water that you put your ziplock of ingredients into and sustain it for a long period of time. You could put it in a pan of water and fiddle around with the hob, but then you would also have to make sure the bag was off the bottom of the pan. Ball ache…big time.

The other option is to fork out up to a grand on a waterbath (expect to pay at least £500 for a bottom end version). Spenny to say the least. Fortunately there is a way around having to stump up the dough: A deep fat fryer, basically a waterbath without a digital temperature adjustment.

A deep fat fryer will cost you no more than £30 the only other things you need are a couple of bamboo skewers, and a cooking thermometer. Fill it with water as opposed to the usual oil, place the thermometer in the water attached to the side of the cage and then fiddle with the heating dial until it keeps a constant 40˚C. Might be worth pointing out, the reason it is 40˚C is because any hotter than that and you run the risk ‘overcooking’ the infusion. The bamboo skewers are used just to lift the cage off the heating coil on the bottom, just in case the bag has any contact.

Pour your chosen spirit into a medium sized ziplock bag (double bag for safety) and chop or tear up your ingredients you want to infuse and add to the bag. At this point you must partially zip up the bag and suck out all the air, be wary: chugging on a bag full of vodka or gin can make you slightly lightheaded! Seal the bag and place into the ‘water bath’.

An hour and a half is, in my experience through a few botched timings, the perfect amount of time to get a solid infusion that isn’t over powering or lacking in scent and flavour (remember 70% of taste is smell). For the perfect wild cocktail, you don’t want to screw up your delicate infusion by chucking in a load of sugar…your not trying to make skittles vodka. Once you have your infusion you can always add a drop or two of sugar syrup when it comes to mixing up your desired drink.

The best way to truly enjoy your infusion is as a martini, straight up over ice or with the customary dash of vermouth.

Get experimenting!

So what else has been going on? I recently went out to Burgundy to see my good friend Mr Tom Kevill-Davies (also known as the Hungry Cyclist) to plot for next year: A week of cycling in the Burgundian vineyards, tasting fine wine, wild plants and fungi and even butchering a wild boar…whilst cruising around on a bicycle, chilling by the pool or plucking cherries straight out of the orchard.

Yes it going to be good. Be sure to check the website in the New Year to book. To see how the Hungry Cyclist lodge is being renovated by Tom and the amazing stuff he’s getting up to, visit http://lodge.thehungrycyclist.com/

Busy few weeks ahead at HGC with 4 weekends of private courses, Glynde food festival and then the big push for our foraging & butchery workshops and wild cocktail lounge at Wilderness festival.

We also have a new specialist course coming online next week: ‘Fish, Forage & Feast’, a day of learning how to fly fish on the gin-clear waters of Chalk Springs in Arundel, followed by a forage around the fishery and a series of taster dishes from all the fish you’re going to catch. Taking place on Saturday 28^th of September, check here for more details.

Quick Cured Fish & Chasing Mullet.

I do like fish. I must confess that my I much prefer the catching to the eating, coming from ‘hunter-gatherer’ that might sound strange, but then this is the 21^st century- things have changed somewhat in 8000 years, but the thrill of the hunt still has its rewards and as far as I’m concerned that usually means damn fresh and proper free range, like…wild…man. What you shoot or what you pull out of the water is undoubtedly the finest of flesh: wild meats, even wild plants to a certain extent these days are at an all time high, when it comes to wild meats especially and if you’re buying, expect to pay a premium.

This is where we can have the best of both, by hunting or fishing, we don’t only get to indulge in primeval roleplay and flex the natural instincts, we also get to enjoy the fruits of our labour. Anyone can fish, you just need a rod & tackle, a rod licence and the occasional involuntary donation to the water, unless you stick to the coast- then it’s free!

A fine brace of Ouse Mullet that fell to the spinner/ragworm technique.

Shooting might not seem as easy, but can be if you are willing to put a bit more into it: A .22 air rifle doesn’t require a licence of any kind, but you will need somewhere to use. Someone once told me land is the best thing you can own because they don’t make it anymore. We can’t all pay the price for a little slice of countryside- its spenny to say the least. That said, everyone knows someone who knows someone or knows someone else that knows someone rural, I mean proper rural, with land, farms, woods, whatever…land means things to hunt and more often than not these landowners all have pests that they would be happy to be rid of. That means Rabbits and pigeons- both excellent wild meats. Its always worth asking around, someone might even barter you a wood to build a tree house in and live there for 6 months…

  Believe it or not, Turtles and Mullet are closely related...

It also allows you to lose yourself in a bit of nature for a while- always a good thing, you can switch off for a while and enjoy an environment that doesn’t always conform which in itself means there will inevitably be some sort of excitement.

So that’s why I like hunting and fishing, but especially being a brother of the angle- better known as a fisherman. Doesn’t take much to qualify as a fisherman either: get the above and you’re a fisherman (I’m not talking about the crazy fellas that take on the north sea- that’s a whole different kettle of fish).

The best fish scaler you will ever own, plus its a good excuse to drink three beers.

Well, onto the main course, in fact this is more of an apero or starter. In terms of wild ingredients in this one we’re just talking fish, fortunately the one used in this recipe is the most common and easy to seek out around our coastline, harbours and upper tidal sections of most rivers. The Grey Mullet: difficult to catch certainly, pound for pound they fight extremely hard and are therefore the ultimate prize. They are often referred to as the English Bonefish, having caught a Bonefish off the flats of little Cayman, I can whole heartedly agree- Mullet wear jetpacks and on light tackle will give you one hell of a scrap.

Bone fishing in the Caribbiean circa 2009.

I prefer to fly fish with a bit of bread crust. Check out the post I did on how to fish for them here, it was done in France, but French Mullet don’t have the same arrogance or culinary curiosity as there two-legged counterparts living above the surface. They speak the same language as the English Mullet (anyone reading this in Basque country- please understand I am referring to a fish, not a hairstyle- just want to avoid any confusion on that point).

Mullet are bloody fussy eaters, their natural diet is based around sucking up mud and filtering out the microscopic edibles, other than that they like a bit of sea weed to sift through, not easy to cater for. Where converted they will take bread, but most of the time making contact is tough. There is one method that I have been introduced to recently by a fishing buddy of mine that is killer. Apparently its no secret and this article from Angler’s Mail will tell you everything you need to know.

The Killer Mullet Rig: small mepps, weights two single hooks in tandem baited with a ragworm.

In simple terms in consists of using a spinning rod with a few small weights to get style and distance, a small mepps spinner (treble removed) with 6 inch length of line tied to the end and a small single barbed hook attached. The single hook is then baited with a few ragworm. THe way in which works is that the mullet will be attracted by the spinner and follow it, then they see the trailing ragworms (presumably something they eat from the mud from time to time) and snatch at it- fish on! Except they usually end up snatching at the trailing ragworm (expect to rebait every few casts!). A good tip, again from my fishing buddy, is to attach ANOTHER single hook with a short piece of line to the eye of first single hook, so that it sits at the same point as the end of the trailing ragworm. I found that success rate increased dramatically- everytime the mullet snatched at the ragworm it found itself hooked- cunning.

The one that didnt get away: the extra single hook nails them everytime- just make sure your knots are up to scratch!

Fish in the kitchen has always caused a bit of an issue for me, I’m not the biggest fan of baked, poached or pan-fried, but I love it raw, smoked or cured. Ceviche is king (see the post on ceviche here). I think it has something to do with texture, perhaps the added excitement of an age-old process between the obtaining of the main ingredient and the eating. In the case of raw- its all down to the fish gods and your skill to get it as fresh as possible (although luck does play a part, any fisherman who is lying out of his arse).

This is one of the most incredible recipes I have ever come across, and thus, certainly can’t take credit for, but then again neither can Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall- despite it being in his River cottage fish book (Highly recommended).

Clearly it is so good, that he obtained it from the genius that created it: Adam Robinson, former chef/propreiter of the Brackenbury in Chiswick. Mr Robinson used to make it with cod although most white fish will agree:

Bass, Sea Bream, Grey mullet, Pollack, whiting, ling, brown trout, perch and pike are all useful fish, I daresay rainbow, trout and salmon would be perfectly happy to get involved with this quick cure treatment too

Mullet fillets in the herb garden ready for curing.

The recipe calls for shallots, slow roasted tomatoes and a dose of thyme. The best thing about this recipe is in the cure: with this you can go crazy: perhaps a nice far east version with spring onions, a drizzle of soy sauce quick pickled cucumber and generous helping of chillies, chopped ginger & garlic…

And here it is:

Slow roasted tomatoes.

Very easy to do and will keep for sometime in a jar of olive oil. Cut the tomatoes in half, de-seed with a spoon and then cut them into quarters. Arrange on a roasting tray drizzle, with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and a few sprigs of thyme. Roast gently in the oven at 140C for 2 hours.

Quick Cure.

I say quick, but this actually takes about 6-8 hours! Depending on the size of your fillets, the recipe is based on a fillet of 400-500g or two of around 250g each.

• 150g salt
• 50g white granulated sugar
• 2 bay leaves finely shredded (or lemongrass if going oriental)
• 5g of freshly ground black pepper

Mix together the ingredients for the cure, and sprinkle a handful on the bottom of a rectangular tuppaware. Place the fillets in skin side down and then cover with the remainder of the cure. Cover and place in the fridge for 6-8 hours, anymore and they will be over salted, the smaller the fillet- stick to 6 hours.

Pre-cure.

Once curing time is up- remove the fillets, give them a good rinse and pat them dry. Prepare the fish by thinly slicing from the tail end- as if you were slicing a side of smoked salmon.

 

After Cure, and below: stiff as a board (almost).

The next stage is up to you- but whatever you are mixing it with be it the traditional version or the oriental one, allow a least an hour for the fish and the other ingredients and oils to marry and mingle before serving.

 

The Oriental version.

Bon ap. 

'Dent-de-lion': Hunting Lions, Salade Pissenlit & the Ultimate pickling liquid.

One of the first questions asked by many a beginner when it comes to their first foray into the wild larder is ‘what easiest to begin with?’ The most obvious would be the stinging nettle, blackberries, elderflower and of course: the dandelion.

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are a member of the Daisy family along with yarrow, burdock, pineapple weed and chamomile. They are one of the most prolific of wild plants and you’d have to try particularly hard not to find them: gardens, hedgerows, fields, disturbed ground- they’re everywhere. The dandelion holds fond memories for me and is largely responsible for my journey into the world of hunter-gathering, when I was seven and entering into my feral child phase, my mother used to send me out to the garden armed with a pair of scissors to hunt lions for supper: ‘Only take the younger paler leaves’ was the only information given. This was very much the ‘Eureka’ moment when I realized that there were more than just blackberries to be had from the hedgerow.

The name dandelion comes from the French ‘Dent-de-lion’, a reference to the shape of the leaves, a jagged row of viscious teeth. Other names include: Pissenlit or Piss-a-bed which points to the plants diuretic qualities from a medicinal point of view. My personal favourite has to be ‘Fairy Cocks’, although why they are named this is beyond me!

In culinary terms, you can’t get much better than the dandelion, everything from the root up is edible, making it one of the most versatile plants to take out of the wild and into the kitchen. The sheer amount of recipes racked up by the dandelion over the centuries is testament alone. Coffee, wine, beer, salads…the list goes on, other than burdock and the rhizomes of Cat-tails, the root of the dandelion is one of the major carbohydrate resources available to us in the UK.

 

Four good things: Flowers, buds, leaves and roots.

How to use dandelion depends largely on what part of the plant you’re going for, what is a constant throughout is the dandelion’s tendency to bitterness, there are a few tricks to limiting it, such as blanching roots or leaves in changes of boiling water, picking only the youngest leaves or going for the preventative method of placing plant pots over select plants and leaving them for a few weeks until the leaves become pale and yellow. Think chicory. One thing that is for certain is a mixture of sugar, salt and lemon juice will really help bring out the best in dandelions.

To help with you with how to get the most out of dandelions here is a rough breakdown of what to do with what:

Flowers: other than adding a vibrant gold to a salad, the flower heads are also used in making quite a pleasant wine. Also you can pick out the stamens as a peasant’s saffron and add to rice which gives a tinge of yellow.

Buds: Prior to the flowers opening, the plump flower buds have a startling resemblance to caper berries- worth pickling to make a caper substitute as you can with ash keys. Follow the steps below using the ‘ultimate pickling liquid’. They can also be used raw in salads or added to soups.

Leaves: The leaves are very much a salad ingredient, although they can be wilted and served like spinach, I have always found them best in their natural state. Try to pick only younger leaves which wont be as bitter as some of the beasts you will find, if you are going to use bigger leaves- dress accordingly with a sweet dressing using sugar or honey. Works very well with a Lyonnaise-style salad, that goes by the name ‘Salade Pissenlit’ which utilizes bacon and the essential fat rendered from frying (see below).

Roots: The roots, once scrubbed well, can be blanched in a couple of changes of water and pan-fried, they can be roasted in the embers of a fire, peeled dipped in a little salt and nibbled on. To make coffee (again the bitterness is the reason it makes a good substitute), scrub and dry the roots, chop into small pieces and place them in the oven at 190C for a few hours, turning occasionally. These can then be put in a coffee grinder and used accordingly. Pleasant and nutty with one downside- Caffeine not included.

The Root: one of the wild's handy carb providers.

Ultimate Pickling Liquid.

(Makes 2 litres).

Based on a recipe from the book Artisanal Cocktails by Scott Beattie, this pickling liquid is a little on the sweet side, very aromatic and works well with bitter flavours. Particulary good with alexanders, fennel and cucumber, I use this as a standard pickling liquid for ash keys, Alexander buds and dandelion buds. Keeps in the fridge indefinitely.

Ingredients

• 4 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1 ½ TBSP mustard seeds
• 2 TBSP Coriander seeds
• 250g white granulated sugar
• 1.4 litres of white wine vinegar
• 3 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cardomom pods
• 1 inch of cinnamon
• 1 dried birds eye chilli
• 1 dried smoked chipotle chilli

First, heat a stainless steel pan and add the fennel seeds, mustard seeds and coriander seeds and toast for a minute or two to release the aromatic oils, then set aside.

Place the sugar and vinegar in a stainless steel pan and heat gently, until all the sugar has dissolved- DO NOT BOIL! Just as it is getting to the point of boiling, add all the other ingredients along with the toasted spices and take off the heat and put aside to cool.

To use, simply fill your jars with what you want to pickle, pour over the pickling liquid and seal- et voila!

  

 

Salade Pissenlit.

(serves 2)

Based on a Lyonnnaisse salad from Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, usually served with bitter endives and frisee lettuce. This salad has been served many a time by our less culinary adventurous neighbours using dandelions hence the name- Salad Pissenlit.

Ingredients.

• 2 handful of young dandelion leaves
• A few scrubbed dandelion roots finely chopped and blanched.
• 2 handful of lardons
• 2 poached eggs
• 2 slices of toasted bread- chopped into squares for croutons

Dressing:

• 1 TBSP of olive oil
• 2 TBSP of white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 TBSP sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt & pepper to taste

Wash the dandelion leaves first, then scrub, chop and blanch the roots in boiling water for 10 minutes. Mix up all the ingredients for the dressing in a jam jar.

Pan fry the lardons, then add the croutons and dandelion roots, poach two eggs and then you are ready to construct.

Plate up the salad and add the lardons, croutons and roots- make sure you get plenty of fat from the pan too- essential! Give it agood mix with your hands.

Add the poached egg on top and serve the dressing alongside. Done.

Dandelions are an essential part of the Spring Menu at Hunter Gather Cook. If you want to come and learn all about what’s at its best in spring, butcher a deer and try some wild brews along with plenty of taster dishes, outdoor cookery methods, trapping and fire making, why not book on one of our spring seasonal courses here!

Happy Lion Hunting!