One of a number of foodie Christmas presents bought for me this year (Santa knows me too well clearly!) was a Tuesday evening Masterclass at the highly regarded Lavender House Restaurant in Brundall. The class itself was celebrating the work of Matt Cockin, a Norfolk food hero, award winning charcuterie aficionado with 'the fruit pig company' and all around expert on all things pig. We were promised a bit of a demo by the man himself, a few tasters to wet our appetite, and then a three course meal, designed to showcase the companies produce in all it's glory.
The masterclass itself is one of many evenings run by the Richard Hughes Cookery School, a fantastic venture which has recently been awarded not only, the 'Best Small Cookery School' award, but also the highest accolade of 'British Cookery School of the Year' - a real testament to the feel of the evening and restaurant as a whole, which, from the outset, felt warm, welcoming and friendly.
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| Demonstrating |
Upon arrival we were welcomed in by the bar man, an incredibly charismatic gentleman who instantly put both my Dad and I at ease, offering us a choice of red or white wine and starting a conversation about what the night had in store. Soon we were shown to a room (which I presume is usually the main restaurant) where a table had been set up for Matt's demo and the night was underway. Almost instantly we were bought out our first taster of a miniature Toulouse Sausage, flavoured with bags of garlic and herbs which really kick started our taste buds, all the while Matt described stories of his background and how his business (as if by chance) came to light.
The 'main event' was really when Matt lifted up the largest pigs head I have ever seen from under the bench and proceeded to explain to us (whilst butchering) where certain, more undiscovered, bits of pork were found. Of course upon explanation we were offered samples to try; pigs ear scratchings with lemon, pork cheek bacon - dusted with Matt's spice mixture and the braised cheek oyster with capers.
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| Pigs ear Scratching |
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| Pork Cheek Bacon |
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| Cheek oyster and capers |
As you can imagine it was all outstanding - and made all the more impressive because we had just seen the part of the head each part originated from. The bacon I think was my favourite, coated in a spice mix which Matt did go on to explain, but due to the extensive list of ingredients, I can't even begin to remember. The spicy sweetness complemented the salty streaky bacon pieces perfectly, and I was beginning to see (as I imagine Matt had hoped when he set out for the evening) just how versatile the humble pig really is.
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| Rosemary Bread |
When the demo was finished - which lasted approximately 90 minutes including some excellent questions, we were offered a second glass of wine and shown to our communal table where homemade rosemary bread was waiting for us. I have to say although all of the tasters were delicious, I was absolutely ravenous by this point and soon devoured as much of the carbohydrate as I could feasibly get away with without looking like a pig (excuse the pun)...nonetheless the bread was lovely, still warm and a perfect accompaniment to the starter of smoked haddock chowder soup.
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| Smoked Haddock Chowder |
The soup evoked wonderful memories of being on San Francisco pier eating chowder out of a Boudin sour dough bread bowl, one of my all time favourite foodie experiences, so I was a very happy lady to say the least. I had expected the starter to have some sort of 'Fruit Pig Company' twist to it too, maybe in the form of some crisp bacon on the soup for example, but I didn't let that detract from the excellent flavours - plus I knew I was in for a huge treat with three different delicacies on the main course.
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Pulled Pork, Pork Belly and Black Pudding
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The main course really was a celebration of all things pig! We were treated to pulled pork which just fell apart in your mouth, crisp pork belly and the internationally acclaimed black pudding - which has won awards both in the UK and overseas. This was accompanied by kale, simply buttered and with a dash of black pepper, and the smoothest apple (and I believe parsnip) puree, which complemented the meat with effortless sweet elegance. The black pudding was delicious - as a family we had actually sampled this very black pudding as our Christmas day starter with pea puree, pancetta and seared scallops so we knew it was good, but it really is the best I've ever tasted and well worth sampling - especially now I know the lengths Matt goes through to ensure it's quality, it makes it all the more special!
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| Our Family Christmas Starter! |
The other two components were faultless too - and differed completely in texture and flavour. It really does again showcase how versatile pork is, and how we should really be looking at other ways to try this wonderful product, aside from the usual chops which can so often give, in my opinion, pork a bad name, especially when overcooked and dry.
The final course was a British classic - Sticky Toffee Pudding. Obviously I wasn't expecting a fruit pig twist on this dish but it was a perfect end to the meal none-the-less. Every component was how it should be with the sauce oozing sweetness which married well with the cream, and the cake just stodgy enough to make you feel slightly naughty but not too much for the guilt to set in!
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| Sticky Toffee Pudding |
The night was a huge success, I would really recommend trying anything run by the Richard Hughes Cookery School - although Richard was not demonstrating himself, he spent the evening watching and asking questions which really gave you the feel he loves what he does and desperately wants to share his passion with all of his guests.
I also cannot recommend the fruit pig companies produce highly enough; the time and effort invested in making each item from their stock, speaks wonders for the care Matt takes in making each thing delicious, and you really only have to try their black pudding once to want to keep going back again and again.
The evening really has made me put The Lavender House on my 'to-do list for the future' now, and can't see it being long before I return, either for a full slap up meal, or another excellent masterclass.
http://www.thelavenderhouse.co.uk/
http://richardhughescookeryschool.co.uk/
https://www.fruitpigcompany.com/
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