Trying local specialities and eating where the locals do is a great way to feel that you're experiencing the local culture, and to appreciate the distinctiveness of your chosen destination.
By eating local food, we not only experience different wa
ys of cooking and new combinations, but also ingredients that we can't find, or wouldn't think to use at home.
However, after a couple of weeks of over indulgence, we can find ourselves with slightly-jaded palates. On the journey home, I start thinking about the homely flavours I've missed, and start to crave something simple and familiar.
All of us who love to cook, will spend time trying new dishes and challenging ourselves with complicated dishes, so it's easy to forget the beauty of simple, classic dishes. Simple doesn't mean easy however; you have to buy good ingredients and prepare them well.
We have just introduced an early bird menu to The Treehouse, between 4pm and 6pm Monday to Friday which demonstrates the same commitment to local sourcing as our lunch and a la carte menus, and includes a selection of seasonal dishes.
If you grow your own fruit and vegetables, you might have returned from holiday to find you have much more ready than you can eat with so much in season in August. Don't let all that great produce go to waste, get harvesting and think of some new ways to prepare it.
Peas are, of course, in season at the moment, and they taste fantastic straight from the pod. Try using them in salads. Blanch them, refresh them and then mix them with whatever you fancy; feta cheese and rocket make a great combination, or salted ricotta and goats cheese.
For a delicious side dish, sauté your peas with chopped spring onions and some fresh spinach in olive oil for a few minutes, and then simmer for another few minutes in a glass of white wine. Finish with another glug of olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.
If you do have lots of lovely young peas, use them to make a delicious fresh pea puree to serve with perfectly-cooked fish and chips.
RECIPE 1: Beer-battered fish and hand-cut chips, minted pea puree and home-made tartare sauce
Batter
75g plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
20ml malt vinegar
50ml Alnwick IPA
50ml cold water
Salt and pepper
Add bicarbonate to vinegar and leave for 2 minutes. Add rest of liquid and mix gradually. Add flour and whisk in, season and stand for 45 minutes.
Minted Pea Puree
100g peas
25g butter
50ml cream
Fresh mint leaves
Cook peas in well-salted, boiling water. In a separate pan bring to the boil the cream and butter.
Drain peas and place in a liquidizer, slowly add the hot cream and butter until the peas are pureed but not runny.
Finish with a couple of freshly-chopped mint leaves and season to taste.
Tartare Sauce
2 dessert spoons of mayonnaise
1 small shallot
1 dessert spoon of chopped capers
1 dessert spoon of chopped gherkins
1 dessert spoon of chopped parsley
Finely dice and fry for 2 minutes.
Mix together all ingredients and season with English mustard and lemon juice to taste.
RECIPE 2: Lemon Posset
Ingredients
330ml double cream
85g caster sugar
Juice of 1 large lemon
Stick of lemon grass
Method
Place cream, sugar and lemon grass in a pan bring to the boil then stir continuously for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, add lemon juice and pass through a fine sieve into a jug.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes then pour into glasses.
Serve with fresh berries and good-quality shortbread.
