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Bedfords Review Issue Two14 Exceptional People This page and previous Peter looking very much at home with the trusty Aga prepares his sensational dishes N orfolk and Suffolk are famed for their many and varied food producers and Peter Harrison takes a special pride in sourcing locally. Theres so much to choose from here he says. As well as all the fantastic food to buy I find things in hedges and fields too like mushrooms and herbs which make the most marvellous ingredients all for free. Although a Suffolk man now Peter spent his younger years in France and London Sonnys in Barnes and Alistair Little honing his culinary skills. When his children were born he moved to Suffolk and opened his own restaurant. In spite of its success the chef-proprietor demands proved untenable so he branched out into exclusive supper clubs private catering a lot of weddings he says and popular masterclasses. Today and just for us Peter is making his own seasonal dishes with a host of local ingredients to show off not only his recognised ability but the tempting variety of foodstuffs in the region. We are in a typical timber-framed Suffolk long house moated and dating from the 17th century. There are beams everywhere the rustic kitchen cupboards painted a pretty blue and as with a lot of these homes the centrepiece is the trusty range. Here it is an Aga. Cooking on a range is an art which takes a while to master effectively. It requires patience a special relationship between cook and cooker and a full understanding of its heat variations and vagaries but everyone agrees its worth it. When the range is turned off you notice the chill even in summer. Peter is effortlessly competent and has things bubbling away on the Aga and cooking in it while simultaneously working on the next process. While he mixes and chops and blends he chats about his recipes. Its the most important thing to have good quality raw materials he says. The partridge comes from one of my game suppliers in Norfolk and the vegetables from the local farm shop garden. My venison is Suffolk-local too of course. And the smoked haddock the very best Ive tasted comes from Pinneys in Orford not vacuum-packed so the flavour is maximised. The herbs come from Norfolk as does this White Lady brie cheese for the pizza topping. Apart from some components which hed necessarily prepared earlier Peter has miraculously produced three perfect plates of food. Then as another use for the versatile range the pizza goes onto the floor of the hottest oven and merely ten minutes later it is out again done to perfection and just delicious. Equally at home in a huge restaurant or a country kitchen Peter says he really enjoys cooking in peoples homes. Its much more friendly he says with a grin although sometimes its tricky finding everything you need and understanding how things work. Well hes clearly got to grips with this country kitchen and seems well pleased with what hes cooked today. And with just a few crumbs of chocolate left from his endeavours we cant disagree. www.peterharrisonchef.co.uk Peters dishes Roast loin of venison and pumpkin organic spelt romanesco wild mushrooms and verjus dressing. Pizza with tomato White Lady cheese caramelised red onions black pudding Natural smoked haddock with spiced coriander lentils. Warm salad of partridge with quince baby leaves and borage flowers. Iced nougat dark chocolate and hazelnut shard with raspberry and Malbec sauce.