​​​INGREDIENTS
​8 rashers smoked streaky bacon (optional), sliced into squares
1 brown onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
50g butter
1l fish stock
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 5mm cubes
100ml double cream
50g grated Gruyère cheese
Large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp cornflour
600g plaice fillet, skinned, boned and roughly chopped
350g readymade puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
​

'Move over Meat' was the headline in the NY Times Weekend

"More than ever before modern chefs use interesting new cooking techniques and ingredients to boost texture, add depth of flavour and make so much more of humble carrots, kale and cauliflower. 

Vegetable dishes are now storming the menus at some of the world s best restaurants where chefs are treating fresh vegetable produce with the reverence it deserves and turning ingredients that used to be reserved for side dishes into centrepieces. MasterChef winner Mat Follas uses his considerable culinary skills and understanding of flavour to create a collection of wow-factor vegetable recipes for vegans, vegetarians and non-veggies alike.

Organized by type of produce, there are recipes for root veg, green veg, alliums and bulbs, potatoes and squash, legumes and pods, sweet vegetables, shoots and stems, mushroom and funghi, as well as basic recipes for a well-stocked chef's storecupboard. 

Choose from Smoked Parsnips with Pear & Blue Cheese, Cauliflower & Truffle Pate, Red Cabbage & Burnt Aubergine Baba Ganoush, Kale Gnocchi, Kimchi, Spring Pistou Soup, Nettle & Wild Garlic Soup with Gruyere Toasts, Red Onion Tarte Tatin, Warm Salad of Samphire, Chilli & Shallots, Pea Panna Cotta, Pizza Bianca, BBQ Sweetcorn with Gochujang Sauce, Spaghetti Puttanesca, Artichoke Frittata, Champagne Mushrooms, Fennel & Roast Tomato Lasagne or a selection of versatile sauces, ketchups, chutneys, pickles, pestos and oils. 
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Whether you want a revitalizing juice to start the day, a quick summer salad, a slow-roasted winter bake or a new way to preserve an abundance of seasonal produce, you'll find plenty of fresh inspiration here."

September brings the start of the native oyster season here in Britain, and to mark it, I am excited to announce that I will be mc'ing the 23rd Annual TABASCO® Brand British Oyster Opening Championship on September 2, an event which hosts Britain’s best professional oyster shuckers as they open and do their best to perfectly present 30 native oysters in the shortest time. The fastest shucker, with the best presented tray of oysters, will be crowned champion.

While the fastest time sits at under 3 minutes (that’s less than 6 seconds per oyster!), there are time penalties for grit, shell, or tears in the oyster flesh. Using sharp knives at high speeds carry another danger, too: a shucker’s blood on an oyster adds on a massive 30 second time penalty, so speed alone does not necessarily guarantee a winner. 

The trays of oysters will be judged by three respected and well-established names in the seafood and shellfish industries – Chris Leftwich, who is Chief Inspector to the Fishmongers Company in London and is responsible for the quality control of seafood sold at London’s Billingsgate Fish Market, Mike Berthet who has over 30 years experience in Fish and Seafood as a chef and now represents M&J Seafood on sustainability issues, and David Jarrad who is CEO of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain. These judges will decide on a winner to be awarded the trophy, a £250 cash prize, and a spot at Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival.