New season's finalist

Due South - RSPCA Good Business Awards 2010 Finalist

At Brighton’s Due South restaurant overlooking the sea, they have always insisted on sourcing food that satisfies customers while fulfilling a wider ambition: to support local producers and suppliers and showcase the fabulous, but often forgotten, food that can be grown so well in our country.

“That's why around 80 per cent of our ingredients are supplied by independent businesses from within a 35-mile radius of our restaurant,” says head chef Michael Bremner, who is passionately committed to creating sophisticated food with uncompromised integrity, insisting on wild, organic and free range produce, shunning the modern mantra of year round choice in favour of seasonal availability. As a result, the menu changes monthly and “the Due South team remain convinced that food is special precisely because it isn't available 365 days a year,” adds Michael.

Court Gardens Farm lamb

Braised neck of Court Gardens Farm lamb “Osso Buco” with white beans, smoked bacon and wild mushrooms

“This recipe uses the oft overlooked neck of lamb - a cheaper cut that works marvellously in this dish – a warming treat for autumnal evenings.” – Michael Bremner, head chef at Due South

Ingredients (for the lamb)
1 neck of lamb cut into 4 pieces on the bone (ask your butcher for help)
2 carrots peeled & diced
1 onion peeled & diced
2 sticks of celery - diced
1 small leek - diced
2 litres of quality chicken stock
300ml of red wine
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 pigs trotter (optional)
1 tbsp of flour
1 tbsp of tomato puree

Method

In a hot pan add a splash of olive oil, roll the neck pieces in the flour and lightly brown – remove and reserve. Add the diced vegetables and tomato puree and lightly brown. Put the neck pieces back in the pan, deglaze the pan with a splash of wine then add the rest of the wine & the remaining stock – along with the pig’s trotter if using. Cover and cook in the oven at 180 degrees for 1½ - 2 hours.

Remove lamb and keep warm – strain the rest of the liquid through a meshed strainer – discard pig’s trotter (or allow to cool and pick meat off to add back into the finished dish).

Ingredients (for the seasonal sauce)
2 tins of cannellini beans
200g of assorted wild mushrooms
100g of smoked bacon – diced
2 shallots - finely chopped
1 tbsp of sherry vinegar
Reserved strained cooking liquor
Finely chopped fresh herbs

Saute the shallots, bacon and mushrooms in a hot pan, then add the drained cannellini beans – slowly add the cooking liquor – stirring until reduced by a half - add the herbs and sherry vinegar and season to taste.

To serve: Spoon a portion of the mushroom, beans & bacon with liquor in the centre of each plate – place 1 portion lamb on top and garnish with remaining herbs. Enjoy with crusty bread.