Fair Game

Well a week on from the Autumn manifestation of the Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival and I think that I have just recovered. I love it, every moment is fun – but my word it’s tiring. Thank heavens then for the fabulous audiences who turned up for the whole event across the bank holiday weekend and in particular to those who came along to watch me and some brilliant chefs on stage at the Live Food Show.
I’ve been hosting this for 13 years now and year on year I am always impressed by the chefs who join me and generously provide food and time to entertain and I hope inform our audiences.

This year I was joined on stage by a talented crew of culinary stars who were charged with cooking game as our sponsors were Taste The Game, a national organisation who promote the eating of game and the best practice in rearing and shooting it.
On Saturday I was joined by Andy Vitez from The Restaurant at Drakes who made three stunning dishes including an extraordinarily tasty marrow dish that converted many of us to that unloved vegetable. Master Chef The Professionals winner Steven Edwards proved exactly why he was the winner with a magical pigeon dish, I cannot wait for him to open his new restaurant which I hear will be in Hove, more of that very soon.
Kurt Cutajar from the Hilton Metropole cooked a favourite from his home country Malta with a stunning rabbit dish.
On Sunday Dan Cotton from Market impressed with a venison dish coupled with plums and hazelnuts, and very good it was too. Kanthi Thamma from Curry Leaf Cafe blew us away with pigeon in a vibrant green herb and fresh spice marinade and finally I was joined on stage by Kirti from Azaro who made a stunning venison rogan josh and revealed the secret of making an inpressive pilau rice.

It was late on Sunday that my festival colleagues approached me and asked me if I could cook again on monday – ALL DAY! Well I had cooked on the Saturday, making a spiced fillet of venison which I served with potato cakes, buttered garlic spinach and fig salsa. I had also made fresh mint and coriander chicken thighs in a galangal and chilli yoghurt marinade with lemon and lime mayonnaise and spiced coconut crumb. I had also thrown together a lemon, lime and Sussex mead syllabub using Sarah Thompson’s delicious Southdown mead. What was I worrying about, 5 hours on stage cooking live for an audience of serious food lovers? A walk in the park!
A very long walks as it turned out but a fun one as I repeated the spiced fillet, made a delicious if I say it myself venison Wellington with mushroom and Tarragon stuffing and a venison tartare which I think converted a lot of people to the whole idea of raw quality meat, and I stress that you have to be confident of that quality. Oh yes I repeated the syllabub, well why not I thought.
It was fun, it reminded me how good the city’s restaurant scene now is and it also reminded me that my love of eating out grew from my love of eating in.