Cover story
water tanks have also been installed to collect water to irrigate the land, while a greenhouse is already allowing the team to harvest toma- toes (including cherry, red, yellow, San Mar- zano and beef), a variety of padrón peppers and lots of agretti. Fruit trees will be planted to the rear of the
plot, where there is also a pond that will sup- port drainage and a bank where mushrooms are being grown. There are also plans to cre- ate seating areas and install sinks for the use of the team members visiting the farm.
Tomato butter sauce
By Peter Weeden, chef director and head of sustainability This is my take on a recipe my head chef Michael Weiss taught me many years ago. It’s essentially a tomato beurre blanc and is just so delicious.
Members of the Culpeper Family Hospitality Group
2 cloves garlic 100ml cider vinegar 100g shallot, diced 100ml white wine 1tsp tomato purée 100g split tomatoes, oven-dried overnight at 55°C Dash of cream (optional) 250g cold salted butter, diced 250g tomatoes, freshly chopped into chunks ½ cup spring onions, sliced Tarragon, chopped
Place the garlic, vinegar and shallots in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce by half and then add the wine. Reduce by half again and then add the tomato purée and dried tomatoes. Simmer gently for five minutes. Add a dash of cream and then add the
butter, whisking in a couple of cubes at a time over a low heat so the sauce doesn’t split. Once all the butter has been incorporated and the sauce is hot but not boiling, add the fresh tomatoes, spring onions and tarragon. Taste and check the seasoning – a turn of pepper can just give it a lift. I would recommend serving with whole grilled red mullet, pollack or even mackerel.
20 | The Caterer | 15 September 2023
A breed apart Despite the growers having started work less than six months ago, the land is already providing produce for the pubs, which is deliv- ered across the city by bicycle, and courgettes, tomatoes, herbs, edible flowers and salad have all featured on summer menus. The produce has been carefully selected for
impact and will be adapted as the team learn more about what thrives in the conditions. Peter Weeden, chef director and head of sus- tainability, says: “We need to be realistic. We’re not going to be growing onions, potatoes and carrots. As a group we would consume all the potatoes you could grow in this space every month. The Culpeper alone uses 20-25 bags of potatoes a week and we serve 100,000 meals a year – we can’t grow potatoes for that many people, but just having these conversations makes us more conscious of our impact.” Salad items will be the bedrock of the pro- duction and the farm will provide at least 50% of what is used in the pubs. The aim of the project is not to be a commercial venture or cost-cutting exercise – though Tréguer expects it to cover its costs operationally – instead it is recognised for its value in communicating the group’s culture and providing space and time
“We believe food growing should be a part of all our lives and that requires people to put it in around us” Jack Astbury
for the teams to understand food production and be creative. Tréguer says: “This would not be a good business choice if it was financially driven, but we’ve created a space that will last a long time so we’re not even thinking about that initial investment. There are many other aspects we can measure that make it something that we value, such as our team being happy and stay- ing longer, as well as the guests understand- ing that when they come to us, they support this to happen.”
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