Martin - James Martins Great British Adventure

Publishing director: Sarah Lavelle

Commissioning editor: Cline Hughes

Project editor: Samantha Stanley

Design manager: Claire Rochford

Photography: Peter Cassidy

Front cover photography: David Venni

Cover hair and make up: Alice Theobold

Cover fashion stylist: Rachel Gold

Text design: Smith & Gilmour

Food preparation and styling:

James Martin and Sam Head

Props stylist: Polly Webb-Wilson

Home economists: Sam Head and Emma Marsden

Production: Tom Moore and Vincent Smith

First published in 2019 by Quadrille Publishing, an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing

Quadrille, 5254 Southwark Street, London SE1 1UN

www.quadrille.com

Text 2019 James Martin

Photography 2019 Peter Cassidy

Design and layout 2019 Quadrille Publishing

The rights of the author have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

eISBN: 978 178713 375 4

CONTENTS

Well, where do I even start with writing about the highlights of this trip. Like the French and American books and shows before this one, my Great British Adventure has so much to offer. The country has changed so much over what is a short period of time in terms of its food history. And what a change! The food is so good all over Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England, thanks in part to the amazing people growing, farming, fishing, making, brewing and working in the food and drink industry, making it one of the best in the world.

What is so special is the use of old and new techniques and embracing cultures from around the world that gives us chefs and cooks the ingredients to make our job a lot easier. From the tastiest lamb Ive ever eaten in the far north of the beautiful Orkney Islands, produced the same way it always has been (from sheep grazed on the seaweed behind the longest man-made sheep dyke on the island of North Ronaldsay) to the best langoustines Ive ever eaten, simply cooked and served with mayonnaise on the banks of Strangford Lough in the south-east of Northern Ireland. Theres the amazing wine and fizz made by the guys at the Camel Valley Vineyard in Cornwall and the fantastic gin the best Ive ever tasted, by the way made in small batches at Foragers Gin in Snowdonia in Wales. All of this and so, so much more has helped to put Great Britain firmly on the culinary map of the world.

Ive been involved in food all my life, from when I was a young kid helping out at the pig farm back at home. It was there that I got to understand that great food comes from great ingredients. Not just that, though. By working with food, as I do, I feel you have a much better understanding and respect for it. You realise that producing food either growing, catching or making it takes a lot of time, skill and hard work, and without a doubt you respect it and the people who produce it so much more.

There are certain things I would love to go back and see again, like the crab fishermen off the coast of Scotland, who brave the seas to bring us the best-tasting crab you will ever eat, to the small batch of pro-foragers who, as I witnessed, brave the rugged Welsh coastline in a tiny canoe to grab some rock samphire and other bits from the overhanging cliffs.

The TV series, of course, only scratched the surface of the amazing things you can find around Britain and I for one didnt want to stop.

The same can be said for the places where we can enjoy eating the food we produce. I dont think there is a country in the world that has managed to change the views that other countries have about their food more than Great Britain, as we found when we had to choose a route around the country. Firstly, I must apologise to the hundreds of food producers and restaurants we didnt get to see and all the counties we had to just drive through there was little I could do as we had only a few shows to fit it all in.

That said, what treats we found! Starting with the Waterside Inn at Bray, set up by two French brothers who, I think, epitomise the food scene and whats changed over the years. Holding their three Michelin stars for 30 years, the Waterside Inn is a very special place and if it housed a family tree of all the people who have worked there, past and present, you would see how much this place has influenced the industry since it began. There are teams of chefs and waiters in kitchens all over the country who will have had a connection with this place somewhere in their food chain.

Then there are the two best meals Ive eaten in this country so far. A big statement, I know, but well worth it. Gareth Ward at Ynyshir is a top-class cook as is Sat Bains, whose restaurant in Nottingham, which sits under a flyover down a pothole-lined road, is one of the best in the world. So much so that I decided to stay after the crew had gone and work the nights service with him and his brilliant team.

But there are so many other people I want to thank for their help on this trip, from Michel Roux Snr to the brilliant writer Grace Dent, who I had a great, fun tour of Birminghams food scene with. So, there you go its really a massive thank you to them all and to all of you for all your support over what is now 25 years on TV. I hope you enjoy the show and, of course, cooking the recipes in this book as much as Ive enjoyed making them. Great Britain is a very special place to be and I feel so lucky to live, work and, of course, eat and drink here.

BUFFALO MOZZARELLA, BLACKBERRY & BEETROOT SALAD

Its amazing to think there are thousands of buffalo roaming the British countryside and those at Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire, run by Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter, produce some of the best buffalo mozzarella. This is a fresh cheese that needs to be eaten quickly its made by warming and stretching the curd, moulding it into balls and storing it in salted water. This adds flavour but degrades the cheese if kept for too long. (Laverstokes ice creams are also mega!)

SERVES 2

25ml elderflower cordial