Head Chef Craig shares his passion for foraging on our doorstep, making the most of nature’s larder and the excitement of discovering the often unexpected.
Why did you decide to become a chef?
Honestly? I chose food tech at GCSE mainly because of a teacher that I really liked. Obviously there was also a passion for food; my mum did some cooking courses when she was younger so is a pretty keen cook. My work experience was at Le Champignon Sauvage, which had 2 Michelin stars. From the moment I walked in the kitchen, being around the chefs was so inspiring and I never looked back. I worked there on Saturdays whilst I was still at school, the rest is history.
What inspires you when developing dishes?
I start any development with what ingredients are available. It’s easy to look to another country and pick an ingredient that is obviously going to be delicious, but I like the challenge of keeping it local and British. So, the ingredients come first, then either going back to techniques and recipes that I know work but need tweaking, or developing something completely new – this can be quite frustrating when it doesn’t work, but very rewarding when it does.
The Wild Rabbit menu is ingredient-led with a deep connection to the ingredients on its doorstep. What is your starting point for sourcing produce?
The first thing I do is go to Jez, head of Daylesford’s market garden. We are so lucky to have our amazing farm just down the road, the produce is not only super fresh but we can work closely with Jez to grow specialist ingredients that are different to what our guests have access to everyday.
When did you discover your passion for foraging wild ingredients?
I’ve been interested in foraging since day one – David Everitt Matthias at Le Champignon Sauvage is one of Britain’s most famous, successful, pioneers of it. It still amazes me looking back to his first book from 2006, he was so ahead of his time. Lots of what he was doing 20 years ago is only just becoming popular. My passion grew over the years, and during my time at 5 North Street and Gidleigh Park we did the basics like elderflower and wild garlic. But it was when I moved to Yorkshire to work for Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, and then Tommy Banks, where the foraging really excelled and my understanding and knowledge really grew.
What about foraging interests you? Why do you do it?
I find it interesting that we can recreate flavours that we ship in from across the world right on our doorstep. I don’t see why you wouldn’t forage, it’s more sustainable, more challenging, it’s different and interesting, and it gets you out walking and enjoying the outdoors. I’ve always been passionate about the environment and sustainability, and I love that I can go out for a walk, harvest things when they are bang in season and preserve them in a way that offers us versatility in our larder so we can use them all year.
What’s your process with foraged ingredients?
Last year I took the team to the farm to harvest pineapple weed, an ingredient that I absolutely love – it always surprises me how much it tastes like pineapple! We can get the flavour of a fruit that’s grown in a tropical environment on the other side of the world from a wild herb that grows everywhere in this country. We pickled the buds and dried out the stems and leaves to turn them into a powder. Pineapple weed powder is currently used to flavour a fudge as part of our petit fours for guests after their meal, and we add a caramelised pickled bud on top to add a little bitterness to balance the fudge’s sweetness.
You created the concept of using cep mushrooms in a parfait with chocolate namelaka, spruce and chestnut. What is your starting point for pairing unusual ingredients?
Tommy Banks said something when I was working with him, that when ingredients grow together in terms of seasonality and location, they often pair together very well. It’s obvious when you think it about it, and something we naturally do. The namelaka is a more autumnal or wintry dish, when mushrooms and chestnuts are in season. Chocolate and mushroom are a well-known combination, but spruce, pine and fir are some of my favourite ingredients to use in desserts at that time of year. It’s a good opportunity to start with something a bit different when you have a lot less fresh fruit available.
What is your all-time favourite flavour combination?
It has to be strawberry and hay. When you toast hay, it takes on this lovely savoury, wheaty flavour, and when sweetened it’s an incredible thing and goes well with the perfumy sweetness of a strawberry. Add a bit of acid (we compress the strawberries in their own juices, seasoned with meadowsweet vinegar) and you’ve got a dessert that’s well balanced and full of interesting flavour.
How would you advise budding cooks on experimenting with wild ingredients?
Don’t be afraid! I tend to steer clear of mushrooms because my knowledge isn’t good enough and they can be harmful, but I use apps that can quickly identify the ingredient and find out if it’s edible. I’m constantly eating things when I’m out on walks to see if they taste good. If they do, I have a little play around, try them raw, try them cooked, add some sugar, add some salt, add some acid. Lots of wild ingredients will have already been used by someone somewhere, so a little bit of Googling often gives some examples of what can be done with them as a starting point.
What other unexpected ingredients can we expect to see on The Wild Rabbit menu soon?
We’re in the height of summer; there’s lots of hogweed seeds starting to dry out which is another favourite of mine. They have a fragrant, burnt orange peel and cardamon flavour to them – we have used them recently on a treacle tart and cider dessert. They’ll be back on the menu soon, along with elderberries, bilberries, fat hen, chanterelles, wild blackberries, and cobnuts.
