This summer I had the pleasure of being the chef for the Wallops Wood Summer Feast, part of the Hampshire Food Festival that runs throughout July.

The Summer Feast showcases some of the best produce that Hampshire has to offer – and there was quite a selection to choose from.

I wanted to start with something fresh and entertaining. I chose some simple cucumber canapes with avocado cream and herb flowers paired with a spherified tonic and lime.  In the past I have made these with gin and tonic and in my opinion, it’s the only way to enjoy gin and tonic with a little bubble burst of fizzy juniper and a dash of lime. They look a little like weird sea urchins but are so much fun.

On arrival, guests were served an amuse bouche with the spheroid tonic and lime with cucumber avocado canapes finished with thyme flowers. They also had homemade cordial made and served by Francoise with water.

Whilst enjoying the views on the terrace, guests were offered the first course of Flower Toasts. Inspired by Scott Wineguard at his time at Noma, these crumbly toasts had a base of walnut topped with a rich harissa cream and a selection of edible flowers.  Jan from Maddocks Farm Organics did us proud with the flowers.

Guests came inside to the tables laid with our next course – a carpaccio of vibrant Isle of Wight Tomatoes and Bourne Valley strawberries with a rose and strawberry vinaigrette topped with wasabi cream. This was served with a side shot tomato consommé made from Isle of Wight tomatoes on the vine. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Isle of Wight tomatoes. They absolutely scream summer with their juicy fragrant flesh and vibrant colours.

Hambledon Wines provided glasses of Hambledon Première Cuvée, produced exclusively from their own estate on the South East facing chalk slopes of Windmill Down, in the historic village of Hambledon - not far from Wallopswood Cottages.  The Première Cuvée is a blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier with notes of confit lemon, orange blossom and white lily evolving into almond croissant and a dusting of crumble, the mouth-watering acidity of the wine paired well with the acidity of the juicy fragrant tomatoes.

The third plate was one to share.  There were two different types of tree nut cheeses made with different fermentation agents; a truffle macadamia nuts cheese topped with a mushroom ash and an edible herb flower goat’s cheese.  This was served alongside a red pepper pate and three different types of crisp and delicate crackers. One inspired by hay flavoured with meadowsweet and red clover, a beetroot and caraway and a red pepper cracker. Alongside were three different types of fermented chutneys – curried gooseberry, lemon phickle (fermented pickle) and a cauliflower piccalilli made with garlic from the Garlic Farm, Isle of Wight.      

The fourth plate was a version of roots, shoots and leaves, a dish I developed originally in California in 2013. It shows that dishes really do evolve over time. I used beautiful kohl rabi that was sheet sliced and smoked alongside shaved carrots, a seaweed caviar as nod to the Hampshire coast with capers and watercress. The dish was served with the Hambledon Classic Cuvée with notes of fresh sourdough, magnolia and lily scents mingle with a hint of smoke over a core of greengage, red plums and dessert apples.

The intermezzo was a red pepper sorbet with a hint of chilli. It was wonderful to see the look of confusion turn to delight on people’s faces when they tasted the hot and cold.

The final course was dessert. I took inspiration from the gardens of Hampshire…  chocolate soil made from walnuts and cacao formed the base of the dessert, paired with a white chocolate delice and summer berries and fragrant rose petals. Fennel ice cream, a strawberry and tarragon tuile and a coffee reduction with local Hampshire coffee roasters, Moonroast completed the meal. Hambledon’s Classic Cuvée Rosé - a beautiful, vivid wild-strawberry pink with magnolia blossom and hints of buttered white sourdough toast was the perfect accompaniment.

I didn’t manage to get a photo of the dessert as there was so much going on, but since all dishes evolve, here’s the version before I added the fennel ice cream and tuille.

 If you’d like to add raw food fine dining for your event - either by me (Deborah) or to learn how to do it yourself, please get in touch - hello@deliciouslyraw.kitchen

A lot of the techniques for raw food preparation that I used at this event are covered in the Diploma in Raw Chef Mastery (online) and if you’d like a hands-on experience, I run live sessions in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire: Raw Chef Levels One to Three and Raw Pastry Chef Levels One and Two. You can find out the details and request the prospectus here.

If you’d like to find out more about what’s involved in becoming a raw food chef, come along to my free masterclass series You: Becoming a Raw Food Chef where you’ll discover the inside scoop on how to propel yourself forward on your raw chef journey.

Links

More information about Wallops Wood Holiday Cottages

https://www.wallopswoodcottages.co.uk/

 Hampshire Food Festival

https://www.hampshirefare.co.uk/