Westcountry Cookbook to launch this Summer

Talented photographer David Griffen has worked tirelessly over the last year to produce a stunning cook book that celebrates not only the South West’s top Chefs, but also the incredible produce we have right here on our doorstep.

Whether because the region’s food scene has, on occasion, been dismissed as provincial, pasties or simply Padstow, or because of its geographical isolation, there’s a special camaraderie amongst the community of cooks in the South West. This book is testament to this collective spirit.

The New West Country Cook Book is a showcase: not of the top names in the business, although it has them; not of expensive or extraordinary ingredients – as the South West can grow, rear or catch them all; but, more, a celebration of the simple beauty and fantastic taste of the best ingredients artfully combined.

With over 250 pages of beautiful photography by David Griffen, this book will make a great present for any Chef or foodie.

Nathan Outlaw to open ‘Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen’ in Looe

Two Michelin-starred chef Nathan Outlaw is set to open his first stand alone restaurant, Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, in the fishing town of Looe in Cornwall.

Outlaw recently received news that planning permission had been granted to convert what was once a local fish merchants into a 60 cover restaurant serving fresh, locally caught seafood.

Outlaw plans to open his new venture in early 2013. “This is something I’ve been working on for almost two years now. I’ve always had a really close relationship with the person who ran the fish merchants, Tim Alsop, and have bought my fish from Looe for many years”

Outlaws Kitchen will be serving British seafood, in a relaxed atmosphere. Serving smaller sharing plates in an informal environment. It will have a big bar area, which will offer casual dining and drinks, over looking the port.

Outlaw has enlisted the help from a “very exciting chef”, he went on to say “He’s probably one of the best fish chefs I know – but it’s not Rick Stein! He taught me when I first got into the industry, and he’s a great friend of mine.”

An opening date for outlaw’s Fish Kitchen has not yet been confirmed but it’s planned to open early next year. Outlaw will also be opening a new city restaurant in London, Outlaw’s Seafood Grill 2^nd October.

Cornish chefs take on shooting challenge

A group of Cornwall chefs swapped their kitchens for the countryside for the day as part of a campaign to encourage more people to eat game meat.

Sixteen chefs from across the county got together to take part in a clay pigeon shooting challenge at Colquite House, Washaway, near Bodmin.

It was organised by staff from Country Sports South West (CSSW) and Cornwall Food & Drink to mark the launch of a new campaign to encourage more people to eat locally-sourced wild game meat. The campaign supports Taste of Game, a national promotion run by the UK’s largest shooting organisation; the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).

Game meat is an increasingly important part of the Cornwall chef’s repertoire. The clay shoot brought the chefs together to highlight the link between shooting and wild game meat.

The regional game food campaign is being run by Country Sports South West. Development staff will create and develop new opportunities for game food suppliers and shoots and organise game cookery demonstrations aimed at visitors. In addition, CSSW will help to promote regional game recipes, chefs, restaurants, gastro pubs, game suppliers and shoots via a consumer website and marketing programme.

Country Sports South West is a £1.6 million tourism project aimed at promoting the South West region as a premier tourism destination for country sports. The project is being delivered by BASC.

Annette Cole, from Country Sports South West, said: “The aim of the chefs’ clay shooting challenge was to highlight the link between shooting and eating game. We talked about the importance of sourcing game locally and the potential that country sports have to bring much-needed tourism funds into rural areas all year-round. Shooting is worth £270 million annually to the South West economy. We are working to make the shooting and eating of game even more of a draw to the area.”

“Game meat is a sustainable and good value food, which both consumers and chefs seem to want to know more about. Home cooks are particularly interested in learning how to prepare and make the most of these meats and the series of demonstrations by professional chefs that we have run at our events in association with Country Sports South West have proved popular .” Said Richard Huxley of Cornwall Food & Drink

The winner of the contest was Ben Palmer, head chef of The Plough at Duloe, who recently competed on MasterChef: The Professionals. Other chefs who took part included TV chef Paul Ainsworth, who runs restaurants Number 6 and Rojano’s in Padstow, Michelin-starred Chris Eden of the Driftwood restaurant in Portscatho and Jack Stein, son of Rick Stein and development chef at Stein’s restaurants.

The chefs were also treated to a lunch of pheasant and venison provided by local game food suppliers, along with other local produce from some of Cornwall Food & Drink’s members.