With our Garden Café reopening this week, we’re taking a moment to celebrate our glass covered gem and share a signature recipe with you.

The Garden Café is a showcase for the talents of our gardeners as much as our chefs. Where vegetables take the starring role. Humble root veg and brassicas are a main attraction when whole roasted or baked in coals. Jewel-like beetroot and berries have their moment alongside vibrant greens and golden butters, flavoured with mushrooms and herbs.

This is seasonal cooking at its truest; our chefs and gardeners work not just to the season, but to the day, with daily harvests making their way to the kitchen. The relationship between gardener and chef is elemental to what we serve here. We start preparing your food long before you arrive – from the very seed.

Because of this relationship, nothing much goes to waste. From stem to leaf, every part of the plant is used in inventive ways – carrot tops become pesto, gluts of fruits and vegetables are pickled, dried, fermented, stewed. Punchy ferments to awaken the tongue. Little slices of the season, stored in the larder to carry us throughout the year.

On the menu this month is a dish celebrating the simple sweetness of an onion; it stands happily alone, or can be served accompanied with roast lamb.

“I’ve always felt cooking should capture a time and place. Here we take that quite literally, working straight from the ground, eating the view.”

Alan Stewart, Head Chef

Baked Onion, Chard, Labneh, Beans, Tarragon & Pistachio

Serves 2

  • 2 x red or Brittany onions, skin on
  • 150g labneh (made with ½ tsp salt, 200g yoghurt, 25ml olive oil)
  • 8 x largish chard leaves
  • 2 x handfuls of beans & peas from the garden (whatever is currently ready)
  • 50ml olive oil
  • 1 x lemon
  • 5 x sprigs tarragon
  • Handful chopped pistachios

Make the labneh the night before; mix yoghurt with olive oil and salt, strain in a cheese cloth overnight.

1. Place the whole onions in white hot coals and cook until the whole outside skin is burnt. Wrap in foil or place in a bowl and cover.

2. Toast the pistachios at 160°C for 10 minutes, then chop roughly.

3. Pick the tarragon leaves and chop, keeping a few of the nicest ones to finish your plate.

4. Blanch the beans and peas, being careful to cook at different times if you have different types. Fresh peas are great quickly cooked; refresh in iced water then remove and dress in olive oil, lemon juice, a little salt and chopped tarragon.

5. Blanch the chard leaves in salted boiling water, remove and dress in lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt.

6. Remove your onion. Peel off the outside, leaving the soft melting centre. Slice through the top in quarters, but not all the way through.

7. Spread the labneh in the centre of the plate. Top with the chard, place the onion on top and dress with the beans, peas and tarragon mix. Finish with the chopped pistachios.

SHOP FRESH INGREDIENTS

BOOK A TABLE AT THE GARDEN CAFÉ

Lunch is served 11.45am – 3pm.
Advanced booking essential at the moment due to reduced table numbers.