Ceps Galore!

We are having a brilliant year mushroom picking, finding plenty of Ceps and Chanterelle. Can't tell you where we are finding them as that is top secret, but we are giving them to the Chef to cook in the restaurant.

Success!

First mushroom picking of the season and we found a huge Cep and loads of Chanterell. Its going to be a good season! And we are cooking them in the restaurant.

CRAYFISH

Latley we have been out catching crayfish. They are at their best during the 15th of August and the 15th september, also because the water is low and slower flowing so it is easier to catch them.
How to catch them by Jean Pierre:

Bait an old rat trap or a old net with fish or meat , leave it on the river bed and when enough cray fish are trapped lift and empty the crayfish and start again !!

today we made "ecrevisses au whisky"in the restaurant.

FORAGING FOR CHANTERELLE

Now is the best time to look for Chanterelle, especially after allot of rain fall and humidity. You are most likely to come across them in moist coniferous (pine and spruce) or mixed forests. They often grow in moss, but the are so bright they are hard to miss. The Pictures above shows what they look like, i have already found a few and plan to have them with garlic and parsley on a crostini.

WARNING there are some mushrooms you can only eat once, so make sure you show them to some one who knows what they are.

ElderFlower Cordial

This recipe is one we have used for two years now and is excellent every time.

20 elderflower heads

900g sugar

One Pack of citric acid (available from a chemist)

Zest and Juice of Two Unwaxed Lemons

Zest and Juice of an Unwaxed Orange

Sterilised Bottles.

Shake the elderflower heads to dislodge insects and rinse briefly in water. Bring one litre of water to the boil and remove from heat. Add all of the sugar and citric acid, zest r and juice of the lemons and the rind and Juice of the Orange, Stir until the sugar is dissolved and immerse the elderflower heads. Leave to infuse overnight, remove the flowers and strain the cordial into clean, sterilised bottles. Serve diluted with water to taste.

Elderflower

Now is the time to make elder flower cordial, elderflower champagne, syrup, fitters etc. Because soon the flowers will turn brown and no longer useable, but never fear you can use the berries that follow which are good, added to an apple pie.

Elderflower are very common and can be found easily, however it is usually rare not to find them surrounded by stinging nettles, so when you go out to pick them remember to wear something thick like jeans, not shorts and flip flops like Carey did. The Flower heads are the ones you want to pick (above picture). They have numerous tiny cream-white flowers.

Above is a picture of the plant you do not pick that you can mistake as elderflower, also they grow very nearby so it easy to pick them by accident. They are not poisonous but they are not the ones you are after. Try not to pick elderflower by a road as they will of absorbed the car fumes.

Wild Garlic

As a restaurant we try to source our produce locally and seasonally. At the moment wild garlic is in season, you will find it in abundance in most forests and hedge banks. There is an overwhelming smell but they are actually milder than the usual garlic you would find in the supermarkets. The leaves do very well in salads or sauces. Rob the chef has used it this week in a wild garlic soup.

Seasonal Activities: Foraging for Morel

Jean Pierre explains how to forage for Morels (Morilles)

Jean Pierre: My family have always been picking mushrooms in the Hautes Pyrenees Mountains with my father in the village of Auzat. Then with my Aunt Rosa in Montpezat de Quercy, mainly foraging for all types of mushrooms nothing specific. I was brought along because i was the smallest one and could get under the bushes.

In February and March is the best time to look for Morels, especially after a good frost. You are most likely to come across them where there are horse tracks, manure piles, wood barks, they are open forest mushrooms. The Picture above shows what they look like, i describe them as a big sponge on top of a stem. There is a false Morel which looks more gelatinous than the common Morel but it isn't very good. I can't really explain what Morels taste like, they are very light and go well in cream sauce and with poultry. You can also dry them if you want to preserve them, they last about a year when dried.

WARNING there are some mushrooms you can only eat once, so make sure you show them to some one who knows what they are.