Exmoor Food Fest

Join us on 21 September 2016 at 7pm for the

Exmoor Food Fest 2017 Media Launch
at
Knowle Manor

Claire’s Kitchen is serving up an Exmoor Feast!

5 courses for £50.00

Claire’s Kitchen Elderflower Cocktails on arrival

Canapes
including crispy wonton with blue swimmer crab, poached pineapple, spring onion and chilli jam

Vietnamese Poached Duck Leg on an Asian salad
with a fresh coriander and sweet chilli dressing

Local Braised Shin of Beef
with melting onions, Rosemary Boulangere potatoes, leek gratin croquetas

Blackberry and White chocolate Cheesecake
with a Sloe Gin ice cream and Brandy Snap Crumble

Local Cheeseboard
served with Claire’s Kitchen homemade cider shots

Vegetarian options will be available.

LIMITED SPACE!

Somerset Life Food and Drink Awards

We are very excited to be one of the three finalists in the Somerset Life Food and Drink Awards “Best Food Event”. On 15 September we will find out whether we have won.
Congratulations also go to a number of restaurants who have taken part in the Exmor Food Fest for also making it into the finals: Clavelshay Barn, Luttrell Arms and The Beach Hotel in Minehead.

Now it’s a question of waiting and having all fingers, spoons and ladels crossed!

Cookery School at Clavelshay Barn: 15 March 2016

Clavelshay Barn are proud to announce a new venture – the Clavelshay Barn Cookery School run by award winning professional chefs Olivier Certain and Andrew Dixon.

This full day course will immerse you into what it takes to expertly select and prepare fish and seafood at home. Knowing the essential cooking methods and flavour profiles for fresh and fish, as well as shellfish, will help you produce appetisers, soups, and entrees.

Start Date : Tuesday 15 March 2016
Course : Fish & Shellfish
Cost : £125 per person (includes lunch and wine)

Olivier first met Andrew when they worked together in a hotel in Ashford, Kent. Andrew moved to Somerset to start Andrews on the Weir and Olivier joined him at Porlock Weir as his sous chef, where they achieved great success together for 5 years. They are delighted to be working together again to run the cookery school.

OLIVIER CERTAIN

Marseille-born Olivier moved to England in 1998 following his Michelin star training in La Bonne Etape, Chateau Arnoux and Hotel Les Roches in Le Lavandou, France. In 2001 he joined Andrew Dixon at Andrews on the Weir, Porlock Weir and together they achieved 3 AA rosettes with outstanding food.

Olivier was Head Chef at Woods in Dulverton for 6 years where he achieved 2 rosettes and the accolade of Somerset Dining Pub of the Year 2008, 2010 and 2011. In 2009 in reached the finals of the South West Chef of the Year competition.

Olivier is now creating stunning dishes with French flair at Clavelshay Barn in North Petherton. His style of cooking is typical classic French but after living in England for over 18 years, he has learnt English dishes to an extremely high standard.

ANDREW DIXON

Andrew Dixon After training in some of the UK’s best restaurants and country house hotels, Andrew and his wife Sarah fulfilled a dream of running their own restaurant, and bought a beautiful old Manor House bed and breakfast at Porlock Weir, which opened as Andrews on the Weir.

After only 10 months of opening and at a very early stage of renovating the building, Andrews On The Weir was catapulted into the top ten percent of restaurants in the British Isles by gaining the 3 AA rosettes for food and gaining 4 out of 5 stars for accommodation. Andrew held the prestigious 3 AA rosettes rating for a further 9 years, five of those years he worked closely with Clavelshay Barn’s very own Olivier Certain.

In 2011 Andrew and Sarah changed direction of the restaurant and rebranded to The Cafe Porlock Weir to offer a less informal style of dining but offering the same quality food, and using the same quality of ingredients by sourcing the very best Exmoor and the West Country has to offer.

Andrew’s ethos about food has not waned at all and he still strives to offer some of the best food the region has to offer in the beautiful setting of the tiny waterside village of Porlock Weir.

In November of 2015 Andrew was recognised for his dedication to his craft and was awarded Best Somerset Restaurant Dining Experience at the Somerset Life Food awards.

The Café at the Dunster Tithe Barn (Dunster Food Festival)

Claire’s Kitchen:

Saturday

Southern style pulled pork with a red cabbage and coriander coleslaw and tortilla wrap

Claires kitchen signature tandoori chicken served with an onion, cucumber, tomato and mint salad with a mint/coriander raita and a mini naan bread with garlic butter

For the vegetarians-

Split pea and spinach curry,onion,cucumber, tomato and mint salad and a mini garlic naan bread

For the sweeter tooths-

Mini Buttermilk scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam

Dozy Dough’s carrot and sultana scones

Orange almond cake

Devils food chocolate layer cake with chocolate Ganache and cherry compote

Carrot and walnut Cake

The Winzers Chocolate Brownies

On Sunday foods on offer will be on a local theme-

Local Heal Farm ham and Local cheese Plougmans with a complimentary Secret Orchard Cider shot and devon chutney all served with Dozy Doughs artisan breads

Claires Kitchen home grown squash,pumpkin and pearl barley stew served with crusty artisan bread

***

Secret Orchard Cider Bar

Dunster Food Festival starts tomorrow

Over 40 producers and street food traders will be at the Dunster Tithe Barn from 10.30am till 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, while a number of restaurants and local traders have also got into the spirit offering Exmoor Food Fest deals in the village.

Please note that there are no parking facilities at the Dunster Tithe Barn.

Up-to-date list of restaurants participating in the Exmoor Food Fest

Here is a list of all the restaurants offering the Exmoor Food Fest deal during February:

The Bottom Ship, Porlock Weir
The Cafe at Porlock Weir
Chambers Bistro, Minehead
Clavelshay Barn, North Petherton
The Coach House by Michael Caines, Kentisbury Grange
The Culbone, Porlock Hill
Dunster Castle Hotel, Dunster
The Jubilee Inn, West Anstey
Mason Arms, Knowstone
Pyne Arms, East Down
Psalters Restaurant, Luttrell Arms, Dunster
The Red Lion, Oakford
Royal Oak, Luxborough
The Ship Inn, Porlock
The Stags Head Inn, Dunster
The Swan, Bampton
Tarr Farm Inn
Thomas Carr at the Olive Room, Ilfracombe
The Yarn Market Hotel, Dunster

Participating restaurants across the region will offer
2 courses for £10.00 / 3 courses for £15.00 between 1 and 29 February.
Please check with the restaurants directly for availability and mention the Exmoor Food Fest when booking your table. Click on the links to find out more about the restaurants.

Date for the Diary: Gin Tasting Afternoon at The Culbone

A taste of Exmoor at The Culbone
presented by Wicked Wolf Exmoor Gin

Saturday, 20 February 2016, 3.30 – 5.30pm

Come and join us an learn why Gin is the ‘in’ drink of the moment and have some fun at the same time. We are fortunate to have Julie from Wicked Wolf Exmoor Gin to tell us all about: the history of Gin, why it is enjoying such a renaissance and to help you try a range of different Gins and explain the different tastes and experiences.

This will be accompanied by an introductory Gin based amuse-bouche, a range of Culbone Canapés and finished with a Gin based pudding!

All for just £25 a ticket. We have also have offers if you want to stay for dinner or indeed to stay over as well!

To book, call The Culbone on 01643 862259.

Tarr Farm Inn joins Exmoor Food Fest today

As of today, Tarr Farm Inn is serving the Exmoor Food Fest deal at lunchtime on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

Here is a bit more background about the restaurant adjacent to Tarr Steps, the ancient clapper bridge crossing the River Barle:

Set in its own 40 acres, 16th century Tarr Farm Inn nestles just above Tarr Steps and the River Barle. Only 7 miles from Dulverton, through beautiful wooded valleys and across the open moorland of Winsford Hill with stunning views of Wales, Devon and Dartmoor, Tarr Farm is the ideal location to take advantage of all that Exmoor National Park and North Devon has to offer.

Tarr Farm has recently been awarded the AA 5 star Highly Commended Inn award.

We are committed to offering the best dining experience on Exmoor. We make full use of the abundance of excellent produce that surrounds us – Exmoor lamb, Devon Red Ruby beef, fresh Cornish seafood, local venison and game all feature in the restaurant and provide real local flavour. We take classic dishes and give them a contemporary twist to create exciting menus with influences from around the world.

Lunchtimes are informal; everyone, including families with children and dogs, is very welcome in the restaurant to enjoy a light meal or a hearty lunch. Those who’d like a simple coffee or a cream tea are welcome throughout the day.

During the evening, the menu takes on a more formal style while the atmosphere remains relaxed and we offer an excellent wine list that features over 100 French and New World wines. Larger parties may like to eat in the Oak Room, a wonderful private dining area that has its own bar, an oval table seating up to 19 and sofas to relax on after dinner.

For guests, breakfast at Tarr Farm is a great way to begin the day; choose an extravagant full English, try our Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs or the warming cinnamon porridge with Exmoor honey, or enjoy a simple Continental style breakfast.

The Exmoor Food Fest deal is available:
Lunch: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Tarr Farm Inn
Tarr Steps
Dulverton
Exmoor National Park TA22 9PY

Telephone: +44 (0)1643 851 507
Fax: 01643 851111

Email: enquiries@tarrfarm.co.uk
Website: http://www.tarrfarm.co.uk

Barn Dinner

Last Wednesday, Claire’s Kitchen put up a pop-up restaurant in one of the Medieval barns at the Exmoor Owl & Hawk Centre in Bossington. 50 guests enjoyed an owl display before sitting down for a Mediterranean fest of suckling pig cooked on the spit and paella.

Here are some photos taken on the night by James Alexander: