Matt Tebbutt on local food

photo thanks to Market Kitchen

Seasoned to perfection

Market Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt talks to Back To The Roots about why the words local and seasonal are so important on his menu at his restaurant in the picturesque village of Nantyderry, South Wales

Matt Tebbutt is becoming a familiar face, as a fast-rising celebrity chef, with dashing good looks and an energetic personality. The 37-year-old inspirational chef is an advocate of truly local and seasonal produce, getting very disgruntled over foods which don’t actually fit the bill. “Everyman and his dog now is seasonal and local and by and large they’re not, which is really frustrating,” he says. “It’s just a term that’s been taken out of context and you go to a lot of these restaurants and they’re using tomatoes out of season and asparagus in December.”

He claims that however much the terms ‘local’ and ‘seasonal’ is on everyone’s minds, a lot of chefs don’t quite get the grasp of them. He leans forward in his chair and meaningfully uses his hands to express himself says, “It’s about having an understanding of the seasons and having the discipline of only ever using what’s in season. Michelin chefs who are very rigid in their thinking, want to create pictures rather than thinking, ‘Is it tasting great at the moment?’ That’s why Michelin-starred restaurants have tomatoes dotted all over the plate, when they should only be used in the summer months.”

Matt also wishes there was more prominence on food within their own areas, but insists that this comes down to the local chefs using the produce available to them, “I went to a pub in West Wales and I walked along the beach to get to it and you couldn’t not walk on razor shell clams, but when you get to the pub, you won’t find them, even though they’re everywhere!” he exclaims, bewilderedly shaking his head.

Matt discovered foraging - or more correctly - foraging discovered him, with a Belgium man called Raoul turning on his doorstep with a basket of foraged goods. Matt thought it was great and wrote the ingredients straight into his menu. Fast forward five years and he even organises tailored foraging outings for interested parties. He explains, “You can get your really good lamb and really good beef but you can also couple it with things growing in the hedgerows around you. It gives people eating it more of a sense of where you are in the year.”
Matt says he stays very rigid with this menu, which he writes twice daily, despite the fact that a more commercial menu would make him more money. He insists that along with the wild food and foraging, it sets him apart from other restaurants, saying, “My only concession is putting on a steak on a Saturday night, otherwise you wouldn’t get anyone in. If you’re putting octopus or braised cuttlefish, you might sell two of those, but what really happens is people think, ‘That’s interesting, but let’s have our steak!’”

Matt and his wife, Lisa, set up their restaurant, The Foxhunter in Monmouthshire, 11 years ago and he openly describes how at the beginning it was horrible. He recalls, “There were frequent outbursts and lots of tears. You just work, work, work. You’re trying to build up a business and pay the bills at the end of the week, and then we had two kids in rapid succession. With the lack of sleep I was totally irrational, I used to fly off the handle!” At this point Matt holds his head in his hands at the memory, and then relaxes again, saying, “There are easier ways to make money than setting up a restaurant. But it’s the passion that drives you - that’s what gets you the nice awards and stuff, and it was worth it in the end.”

The level headed character brushes his stylishly ruffled hair with his hand and wistfully says how his dreams of owning a Porsche have slipped away as his family and business command all of his attention and bank balance. The restaurant has since won numerous awards, but he says it is still hard work, often long seven-day weeks.

An opportunity to make some more money came about when a food critic recommended him for television, making twice as much as a day in the kitchen, he jumped at the chance to film once a week. And within a very short space of time Market Kitchen turned him into a household name, interviewing celebrities like Michael Parkinson and cooking alongside Gwyneth Paltrow.

Modest yet ambitious, Matt is in talks about releasing another cookbook and how he would love to open his very own cooking school. Finally fans will be excited to know that they will be seeing more of him on the small screen, “There’s something coming up with the BBC and hopefully something a bit bigger in March,” he says shifting in his seat. With a bit more probing he hints that one of these may be his own national cooking show, before quickly brushing off the topic with a charismatic laugh.

Enjoy trying out some of Matt's recipes here

Here's what Matt had to say about Back to the Roots: "I have to say that Back to the Roots is one of the nicest blogs I've seen and I am delighted to be on it."

New Cook store opens in Wales

Imagine my surprise and ultimately disappointment, as I am walking down one of my favourite streets in Cardiff (Welfield Road), saying my goodbyes to the wonderful city that I am about to move away from after four years, when I see a glorious, brand new foodie shop. I really felt like the city was tempting me not to leave, but getting my first job after finishing my Journalism Diploma, I found myself packing boxes and visiting all my favourite haunts before I leave for my new home of Reading.

Cook on Welfield Road opened last Friday

The new shop in question is called Cook, which sells a range of frozen foods. The company is a family run business and the Cardiff store is part of the franchise and the 49th store to open.

I walk around the quaint shop which is painted a pale lemon colour, complimented by 19 large white freezers sitting on terracotta tiles, decorated with red gingham material. (I was caught off guard and armed only with my camera phone so please excuse the image quality!) I am not usually a fan of the Cath Kidston ‘kistch’ but in here it works really well bringing a wholesome feel to the store, which is reinforced when one of the owners, Liz Smart, greets me with a tray of chocolate cake to sample (always a winner with me!). Liz and her business partner Karen Purchase opened the store a week ago and have been given a truly Welsh warm welcome.  

Friendly advice is offered by Liz

The store is designed to feel like somebody's kitchen

“People were reading the article in the Western Mail in the morning and coming down in the afternoon. We had 244 customers on the first Saturday!” says Liz. Nestled among other gift and artisan shops on Welfield Road, off Albany Road in Cardiff, this cute shop offers big wicker baskets for customers to fill with frozen prepared meals. Freezers are thoughtfully organised into Meals for one and two separately, as well as family sized and party sized.

Meals for two include Coq au Vin, pies, lamb mousakka and cottage pie

Most of the meals also come in single portions

Liz is originally from Newport and opened the store last Friday to a fantastic Welsh welcome. Liz saw the Bristol Clifton franchise and was so impressed she decided to start one in Wales, which she says is so far doing incredibly well. “It was the first time in my life I tried convenience food and thought it was good.” she explains. A busy mum, cook and teacher for 22 years, Liz appreciates the speed of ready meals, but dislikes the average quality. These smart meals however, are locally sourced and happily made.

Liz continues to tell me how the food is made in batch by chefs in Kent. The food is locally sourced to these kitchens, which produce meals with a quaintly British feel. Liz explained she had been to the kitchens and seen them mince a whole leg of lamb, there are no nasty hidden artificial ingredients and everything is made all by hand. “It’s clearly very important for them to keep it high quality” she says to me in the store on a sunny Sunday which has a steady stream of customers, whereas the previous day the shop was consistently jam packed.



The lovely Liz from Cook, Cardiff


Prices

The price of the meals are enough to make the average supermarket shopper raise an eyebrow, but after consideration they are the same price as an M&S meal. But anything remotely well made, wholesome and good for you has to be overpriced to compete with the monotonous giant mass produced alternatives so I feel that it is justified.

However, when talking about what is essentially a ‘ready meal’ this complicates matters for someone on a budget. As most of you know, I do not mind splashing out on special occasions but when a special occasion comes along I usually like to cook it myself, not buy it ready made. However in the present climate when people don’t have the time to do so regularly I think this is a great way to shop. I also think if you are throwing a dinner party you could buy a couple of bits (such as the example below) and cook the others yourself to spread out the hassle.

Taste Test - Smoked Salmon and Pesto Tartlets £3.99 for two

My mum and I had these for lunch and they were beautiful. There was plenty of salmon and they were definitely not overpowered by the cheaper ingredient (pesto). The tartlet had crisp pastry which wasn’t too thick and it was topped with a thin layer of breadcrumbs. I served them with a leaf and watercress salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar and dotted with strawberries. They were the perfect size for lunch and add a jacket potato and they would make a lovely tea as well.

Authentic, wholesome packaging as well

balsamic vinegar and strawberries go really well together

So tasty

I found out that there is another store in Henley, a short drive away from Reading. I can’t wait to go and try some more meals out – especially the One Pot range which would be perfect for work lunches.

These sold like hot cakes (or pots?!) over the opening weekend

Find a shop near you!

Hairy Bikers Ready Meals

A new range of Hairy Bikers ready meals hits the supermarket shelves today, and here at Back to the Roots we have conducted a round-the-kitchen-table-taste-test.

Firstly when I found out that the Bikers had decided to make ready meals, I thought this went against their whole code of ethics; Mums Know Best, family home cooking. Although, these meals have been made with a wide range of ingredients to be proud of, included West Country Farmhouse Cheddar.

The press release says, "The Hairy Bikers understand the language of food, have a passion for ingredients and the way food is put together and are aware of the importance of good animal husbandry, using British meat and the finest ingredients to produce tasty, rustic, home cooking in decent sized portions, food that people would like to cook themselves if only they had the time."

They tasted really good, not like the average ready meal - perhaps because they're not microwaveable and you still have to wait for the ingredients to come together in the oven. It's not about fast food, it's about good food. I also noticed liked how the packaging had a gastro pub feel to it and would be very appealing to men as well. Because at the end of the day even the biggest foodie like myself doesn't have the time or energy after a long awful day - or even has just forgotten to pick up the correct ingredients. According to stats 76% of consumers buy ready meals, so if these can be marketed as a premium ready meal, I think they fill that gap in the market of foodie people who now and again can't cook for one reason or another.

Taste Test:





Chicken with somerset cheese, cider and apples
priced at £6.00



and West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Mash
priced at £3.00

 Grace: "This is really similar to something that my mum makes. The chicken is really tender.
Me: "There is a hint of mustard in the meal somewhere, but I'm glad that it is not too strong. It's a very comforting dish. The only downside is that the skin of the apples is a bit rough."
Hazel: I like the apples a lot. They're really juicy and I actually like the crunch."

Adam: "It smells amazing!"
Emma: "Oh my God! When is it out in the shops?"

Look out for them in Tesco stores throughout the UK ranging from £3.00 to £6.50