The Head Chef at Stourhead, Wiltshire, loves cooking with local, seasonal food. The Stourhead Farm Shop is almost the restaurant's sole supplier of meat and the walled garden provides the restaurant with fresh herbs and tasty things like white peaches and rhubarb.
These are some examples of seasonal specials and regular treats which have a specific link with Stourhead. Please contact the property before visiting to confirm the menu.
Pumpkin soup
- 900g (2lb) pumpkin, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ½tsp turmeric
- 100g (3½oz) tinned tomatoes
- 1tsp sugar
- 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 600ml (1 pint) milk
- 2tsp corn flour
- 300g (11oz) natural yogurt, plus extra to garnish
- chopped parsley, to garnish
Serves 4
Place the pumpkin, onion, turmeric, tomatoes, sugar, nutmeg and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and puree in a processor or blender. Return to the rinsed saucepan.
Blend the corn flour with a little yogurt. Add to the soup with the remaining yogurt. Bring to the simmering point but do not boil.
Serve garnished with parsley and a swirl of yogurt.
Dorset jugged steak
This traditional Dorset dish was often prepared to be eaten on days when the fair came to town as it is good-tempered enough to wait until the revellers came home, although the forcemeat balls should not be cooked for too long. Jugging is a method of slow cooking which retains all the flavours of the meat while mingling them with those of the other ingredients.
- 675g (1½lb) stewing steak, cut into 2.5cm (1in) cubes
- 25g (1oz) plain flour
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 cloves
- 150ml (¼ pint) port
- 450ml (¾ pint) beef stock, to cover
- 225g (8oz) sausage meat
- 50g (2oz) fresh breadcrumbs
- 2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1tbsp redcurrant jelly
Serves 4
Pre-heat oven to 170°C (gas mark 3 / 325°F). Toss the meat in the flour, shaking off any excess. Put into an oven-proof casserole dish. Add the onion and cloves; pour in the port and just enough stock to cover the meat. Cover and bake for 3 hours, until the meat is tender.
Meanwhile, mix together the sausage meat, breadcrumbs and parsley, form the mixture into 8 balls. Forty minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir the redcurrant jelly into the casserole. Add the forcemeat balls and cook, uncovered, until the forcemeat balls are cooked and slightly brown.
Skim off any excess fat and serve hot.
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