Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

Chef's Diary

The excitement in the kitchen always heightens with the changing of the seasons. Autumn brings us the most wonderful inspiring ingredients such as sweet, fragrant red apples from the orchards, quinces, fresh creamy walnuts, pumpkin, ceps and the abundance of game birds and venison.

These are however just a few of my favourite seasonal ingredients. Upon seeing the most beautiful English ceps arrive in the kitchen one can’t help but think nature is truly amazing. You soon realise that ingredients like this are a gift and one that we are fortunate to receive. Such produce must be respected and does not need to be modified or enhanced in any way as their natural shape and flavour is already truly astonishing.

Of all the game birds that arrive in the kitchen this time of year, grouse has to be my favourite. Their season is in full swing now and the birds are plump and fragrant. They get their unique and almost aromatic flavour from their diet of heather and berries. These are wild creatures and cannot be farmed. Fortunes are spent on the upkeep of the vast grouse moors in the hope that the birds will choose to come live and feed on them. However, cooking these birds is always an event in such a busy service. The preparation of grouse can be very troublesome as all the shot and feathers from the flesh must be removed before cooking can take place. This can often be a very time consuming job and even the most perfect looking bird can be badly shot on the inside.

These are just some of the ingredients that we are showcasing on our seasonal inspiration menu at the moment. The menu has been running for three months now and has become a real hit with our guests and the team here. The menu is a reflection of what is best in season and is fast changing and evolving based on whichever ingredients inspire us at the time. The dishes can often appear to be quite simple, just letting the ingredients speak for themselves.

There is a real sense of anticipation as we wait for the arrival of the first white truffles from Alba. Will it be a good year? We can only hope and let nature do the rest.

It is almost time for us to bring out our truffle box again which is proudly displayed to our guests but we will wait and only when they are at their very best will we begin!

Chef's Diary will be updated on a monthly basis by the Restaurant Gordon Ramsay Head Chef Clare Smyth.

For more information on Master classses with Clare please click here.