A new era at Gidleigh Park begins


Gidleigh Park celebrated a successful first service with new Executive Head Chef, Michael Wignall at the helm on Friday, marking the beginning of a new era at the flagship hotel.    

Guests were welcomed with a chilled glass of Champagne and sat down to enjoy Michael’s brand new ten-course tasting menu, beginning with 'Octopus' - octopus pressé, Portland crab, smoked scallop roe emulsion, ginger and seaweed, radish and basil. Supported by his new brigade in the kitchen, including eight chefs who have travelled to Devon with Michael to continue working alongside him, the evening went off without a hitch...
 

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“After months of planning, I’m delighted to have delivered our first service here at Gidleigh Park. 
The team have performed brilliantly, delivering faultless dishes, which generated wonderful responses from our first night guests.”
 

Photography by Nick Smith

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Seasonal Update

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Duck or Grouse, the glorious twelfth, or the start of the game season had a bit of false start this year. Heavy rain earlier in the year effected fly hatches, which the young birds rely on as food a food sauce, meant a lot went hungry and either starved or failed to put on enough weight. Many of the guns out on the first shoot of the season saw only one drive after which the pickers reported the birds needed another week to fill out.  We received our first delivery on the 19th (a week late), bit of a rush, and they were on the menu....

In our garden the Mulberry trees have a great crop of fruit on their branches, as I write we've picked about 6k of fruit. To keep the fresh flavor of the fruit we cooked it over high heat with 10% sugar, we then turn the juice into gel using a little agar.  This Is served with grouse 

Strawberries have exceptional sweetness and flavor, brambles are filling with black berries and the first windfall apples will be arriving. Stone fruit is really good; Black Muscat grapes form French France has amazing depth of flavor,

French corncobs, girolle mushrooms, runner beans, monks beard, peas are abundant. Early ceps Are about but will cost big money. Pastures will soon be full of field mushrooms if they aren’t already.

Sea trout is right in season so is great menu choice, cod has been brilliant, and although expensive there are great line caught sea bass being caught from the beach in Cornwall.

Happy cooking
Sam Moody

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