There can be few places of such ever changing yet forever enduring beauty as Lyme Regis. At night, the Cobb, unlit but for a bulb or two at its extremities, at once romantic and yet menacing; in a winter storm, the mighty waves dwarfing its’ walls, an awesome reminder of the power of the sea and on a bright summer’s day the sun glistening on the harbour waters, the views breath-taking across the whole bay.
Sunday was one such day. Against this backdrop, Mark Hix’s Food Rocks festival, a 2 day extravaganza of food and music in aid of The Fishermen’s Mission and the RNLI, was held. Strung along the seafront were a diverse mix of food and drinks merchants; the foodie crowd mingling seamlessly with the sun worshipping day trippers to create a vibrant yet relaxed vibe.
What marks this apart from other local food festivals is the calibre of chefs lining up to demonstrate their skills in the main marquee. Angela Hartnett and Mitch Tonks have appeared in the past and this year, alongside Mark Hix himself, River Cottage’s Gill Meller, Russell Brown and Brassica’s Cass Titcombe joined the mix.
I started off my day watching chef Stephen Terry demonstrate 3 dishes; a starter of fried green beans with a tuna sauce, inspired by the Italian classic vitella tonnato and 2 variations of risotto; saffron, with black pudding and chorizo and squid ink with squid, brown shrimp and crab. I first came across Stephen Terry when he competed in BBC2’s Great British Menu; his Abergavenny restaurant The Hardwick has been on my “hit list” ever since. Trained under Marco Pierre White and Michel Roux Jnr and having worked alongside the likes of Nick Nairn, Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, his CV is a stellar one, yet he talks about food in a refreshingly uncomplicated way. He has no time for the ‘correct’ method if another less time consuming method works just as effectively. This was evident in his approach to cooking risotto; an Italian would insist that for the creamiest texture the stock must be added a ladleful at a time, slavishly stirring until every drop of stock is absorbed before adding any more; instead Terry sloshed in great glugs of stock and stirred only occasionally. At the end great slabs of butter were added giving a creamy glossy finish. The final results were available to purchase for £5 per portion, with all proceeds going to the Fisherman’s Mission. I can attest that this was amongst the finest risottos I have tasted, jet black with squid ink, sweet with crab and with a depth and roundness of flavour that only a good stock can provide.
To complete my seafood lunch, a smoked mackerel Scotch egg from Lyme’s own Alexandra Hotel, who held a stall at the street food market. A rich vibrant yolk, still liquid and some crisp Trill Farm leaves spoke volumes for the quality of the ingredients used.
The range of produce stalls was not vast but of high quality. Having exhausted my home supply I was pleased to see quality rapeseed oil producer Fussels present. I became familiar with the company when we used their oil at the pub as a delicious local alternative to olive oil with bread for dipping. As well as stocking up on their extra virgin oil (which is also available in a 2 calories per spray, can) I went home with their chilli and garlic infused oils and a rather unique smoked rapeseed oil. I’ll be experimenting with this over the next few weeks so look out for a new recipe coming soon.
I’m also exploring some non- wheat and alternative grain flours at the moment. With a baby in the early stages of weaning, i’m keen to avoid too many refined flours in his diet. With this in mind I was pleased to discover Sharpham Park Spelt, who produce a range of flours, cereals and even risotto mixes, all utilising organic spelt grown on their Somerset farm.
Finally, a slightly less nutritious choice; Britain’s only grape-marc spirit Dappa, produced by one-man-band micro-distillery Devon Distillery. Comprised of 100% English grapes- predominantly Pinot Noir and Rondo, with some Dornfelder and Regent- it’s an exceptional example of the new wave of speciality English spirits.
Sitting in the borough gardens, gazing out to the cliffs of Golden Cap and beyond, a refreshing bottle of Luscombe Rose Bubbly in hand, my baby beside me, trying squid for the first time, flip flopping it from side to side inquisitively before cramming it in his eager mouth, I feel rather blessed. How lucky we are to live in this most special of places.
Alison Smith @chefalismith
