Cornish Yarg took Centre Stage at Lynher Dairy
Cornish Yarg took centre stage at the latest Cornish Chefs’ Forum event at Pengreep Dairy in Truro on May 11. More than 60 top chefs from across Cornwall, along with students and suppliers came together for the day of dairy tours, demonstrations, networking and knowledge sharing.
Participants were treated to a tour of the dairy to see how the unique nettle-covered cheese is produced before enjoying a Nyetimber and canapé reception prepared and served by students from Cornwall College and Truro & Penwith College alongside Ken Symons from Oliver’s restaurant in Falmouth.
Everyone was then given an introduction to Cornish Yarg by host, Catherine Mead from Lynher Dairies Cheese Company near Truro and a cookery demonstration by Ken showcasing how he uses Cornish Yarg in his dishes at Oliver’s in Falmouth, including six canapés, all incorporating Yarg.
Ken then performed a cookery demo of wild garlic Yarg and beetroot tortellini (a real hit with his customers), pan fried bass and local vegetables with Yarg, crab and wild garlic gnocchi. To finish, Ken created a spiced panacotta with a honey and Yarg cookie.
All of the chefs and students were extremely impressed with Ken’s three course demo, showcasing the versatility of Cornish Yarg in an extremely cleaver way.
Ken said: “Oliver’s is known for its high quality seasonal menus using the finest local produce, and Cornish Yarg is a fantastic ingredient.
“It was a pleasure to be able to share my twenty six years of knowledge with the young chefs and I hope that it inspires them to take advantage of the fabulous produce available in this area. They all showed great promise and should be very proud of their work here today.
“The Chefs’ Forum is a wonderful opportunity to network with fellow chefs and suppliers as well as the rising stars of the future.”
Also on the menu was a fabulous ‘live-fire-cooked’ lunch of bass, prawns, Cornish new potatoes and asparagus prepared on a Monolith Kamado BBQ Grill. All the top quality ingredients for the lunch and canapés were provided by Chefs’ Forum sponsors Total Produce, Flying Fish, Cornish Sea Salt and Harvey & Brockless.
One of the key features of Yarg is its covering in either nettles or wild garlic leaves and after lunch the participants were given an insight into foraging these special ingredients followed by a “Nettling” demonstration and ‘students v. Chefs’ competition which was won by VRQ professional cookery level three students Alexandra Boyce for the students and Jamie Porter of St Moritz Hotel (Rock) for the chefs. Both awarded a truckle of Cornish Yarg as a prize. Alexandra Boyce also won an experiential prize of a day in the kitchen with Ken Symons.
Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, Catherine Farinha, said: “The Chefs’ Forum is all about bringing together the next generation of hospitality professionals with prospective employers and top suppliers, events like these are key to achieving this aim.
“I am delighted with the attendance at this event, and all the students have done a fantastic job.”
The next Cornwall event will take place at Rosewarne Manor on the 28th September 2015. Any chefs looking to attend should contact Alexandra Duncan on 07870 584450 or email: alexandra@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by Andrew Plant: www.andrewplantphotography.com
