A course review – by Renuka Russell
We arrived at Matt’s venue, an unassuming caravan with a large awning tucked away in the corner of the campsite. It was a beautiful, sunny although chilly morning. In fact, it was a perfect foragers day out. We were a select group – an enthusiastic and interesting young couple from London, myself and Mike from the Peak District, Matt and his assistant Andrew and Mike’s stick obsessed and very loveable border collie, Riffle.
Abundance in South Wales
After introductions and a cuppa the foraging began in earnest. Firstly we went out into the meadow and the old churchyard behind the campsite where we gathered Lady’s Smock. Otherwise known as Cuckoo Flower, it has an unexpected burst of hot, peppery flavour. This plant loves to grow in damp and swampy ground. Although out in abundance in South Wales, it had not yet appeared in the Peak District. In fact everything growing here in Pembrokeshire seems to be a couple of weeks ahead of Derbyshire.
Importance of correct identification
As we walked, we grazed on the cucumbery and succulent Pennywort and the bitter, but rather tasty, Ivy-leaved Toadflax. This was growing abundantly on the churchyard walls. We found a lusciously big patch of Common Sorrel with its characteristic rhubarb-like tangyness. Matt pointed out the poisonous Lord and Ladies growing amongst the sorrel leaves and we discussed the importance of correct identification. This included the things that can go wrong if we don’t get it right! Similarly we spent a fair amount of time talking about how tricky it can be to identify some members of the carrot family. Hemlock Water Dropwort, our most poisonous native plant, is a member of this.
Sweet liquorice, dark bitterness
And then, of course, we came across the prolific wild garlic, in flower here already. This has to be at the top of any forager’s list at this time of year. The pungent smell is already beginning to pervade the riversides and stream ways. We gathered generous handfuls of leaves and flowers and added them to Matt’s basket. By now, this already contained many different edible and delicious leaves and flowers. We stopped by some ferns sprouting out of the old wall. Matt scraped a little of the root for us to sample the sweet liquorice taste which soon gave way to a dark bitterness. We returned to base, with a basketful of colourful goodness, to wash and spin dry our haul. This was then laid aside gently for the culinary creations Matt would make later on.
Sea Plantain and Scurvy Grass
Early afternoon found us on the local Estuary scouting for tasty, salt-loving plants. As an inland forager in landlocked Derbyshire, being familiar with everything we found in the field and hedgerow that morning, had very little knowledge of these close cousins. I was unprepared for the taste sensations they yielded. Sea Plantain, for instance, unlike its rather nondescript bitter tasting landlubber relative, surprised me with its strong, punchy coriander flavour. Another example was Scurvy Grass, from the same family as the Cuckoo Flower we’d picked earlier. This had an intensely strong wasabi like hit followed by a rather strong antiseptic aftertaste which I wasn’t so keen on. We also tried Purslane, Sea Aster and the very tasty dark green leaves of Sea Radish. A little later we travelled to the seashore proper where we nibbled on and gathered Laver and Samphire.
We did the same with the delightfully named Gut Weed (think intestines!) and the rather off putting glutinous Bladderwrack.
Matt the Michelin Man
After a long day outside in the sun and wind we were tired but feeling very relaxed. The evening arrived and Matt swapped his foraging hat to seamlessly transform into the Michelin starred chef that he is.
Taking the produce we had foraged, and adding other select ingredients, he produced eleven courses in all. Each one was utterly unique and beautiful in terms of appearance, taste and texture. Every dish was evocative of the local land and seashore. However, it was not purely the food that was locally sourced. The wooden plates it was served upon and the additional decorations, such as the pebbles, were taken from the nearby beach.
My favourite things
It’s impossible to say which was my favourite course as they all had so much to commend them. There was the wild garlic dish with its leaves and flowers in a sweet solution. However, the seeds had a sharper more tangy and salty flavour reminiscent of capers.
The limpet shells with mollusc mousse were light and delicate. These were perched on pebbles with a selection of seaweeds. We’d collected these from the beach earlier and marinaded them in kelp vinegar. Another dish, containing an egg yolk, was cooked at 63.5 degrees celsius to produce a perfect texture. This was overlaid with a creamy sauce, hedgerow herbs and scurvy grass.
Piece de resistance
However, the piece de resistance was the lobster presented with sea plantain, purslane and sea aster. There was also Matt’s take on the traditional Japanese dashi. This intensely flavoured soup was made from locally sourced kelp, dried fungi and buckthorn berries. To finish off, it was served with scurvy grass and lightly steamed sea radish.
Just Desserts
The two dishes I perhaps loved the most were desserts. Firstly, Birch bark ice cream and sweet Cocoa covered Ground Elder stems with Wood Sorrel, young lime (Tilia) leaves and “soil” in the form of malted grains. The dish came with a hot Birch tea and it had such a vibrant Woodland quality about it.
The other dish that stands out in my memory was Matt’s homage to the birds of the coast. A delicate meringue made with Ash and a syrupy Gorse custard beautifully presented in an egg shell. The meringue was incredibly light and the custard had a wonderful aroma. It was that unique coconut and honeyed scent that Gorse flowers emit for only a few days of the year. Maybe it was the feeling that a moment in time had been captured, but it spoke to me of the transient and fragile beauty of our natural surroundings.
Suspended in time
To finish with we had dark chocolate cockle shells with a centre of Sea Buckthorn berry curd. A fitting end for an evening where we dined like kings. At one point, perhaps influenced by the Myrtle wine which Mike had brought, I felt I was suspended in time. Somehow it seemed that this placing of new dishes of heavenly food before me would never come to an end. When the penultimate dish arrived I felt strangely emotional, partly with the realisation that it was indeed coming to an end. Moreover, I was humbled by the effort and love that Matt had put into each of these extraordinary creations.
At the end of the day I felt nurtured and nourished, filled with new inspiration and the finest food. It also made me reflect on the importance of food, not just as a necessity for survival but about the pleasure it brings us. In particular food that we forage for ourselves off the land we live on and how very powerful that can be.
Matt Powell is a chef, forager and saltwater bass lure angling guide.
Having been born in Wales, Matt moved back after many years working away in the best culinary establishments he could.
Fishing and foraging Wales and Welsh bass guide were created to bring all of his passions together.
To find out more about what Matt does visit fishingandforagingwales.co.uk
About the author:
Renuka Russell is a qualified Western Medical Herbalist with a particular interest in using the medicinal plants and trees found growing locally.
She runs workshops, walks and community events to enthuse and encourage people to learn about and respect their natural surroundings and how to identify plants and forage safely.
Renuka is the owner of Be Outdoors, based in The Peak District, which comprises a team of outdoor activity instructors and therapists enabling people to benefit from outdoor experiences for their physical and mental well-being and to enhance all areas of their lives.
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