Yemi’s Food Stories: From Nigerian Markets to Caribbean Cakes and Yorkshire KitchenYemi’s Food Stories: a culinary exploration in Ireland

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

I was at stunning Mountain View Kilkenny in Ireland over the bank holiday to attend Foodiefest which is the first food and wellness festival of its kind.  I got to help my fellow MasterChef UK contestants as they cooked their dishes for circa 90 guests followed by cooking demos for a captive audience.

From start to finish the weekend showcased Irish cuisine in so many different ways so this week my column covers some gems that I can’t wait to share with you.

‘Food and recipes should be shared, not owned’

My highlights started with dinner at Mountain View with menu from head chef Keith Boyle, a renowned award winning Irish chef with a heart of gold. For my starter, I opted for Seafood scampi, crab salsa and mango aioli. This was a generous and stunning plate of food with crispy coated scampi and delicious aioli. The crab salsa was new to me and I couldn’t stop scooping it onto my scampi.

I asked chef Boyle for the ingredients and he gladly shared them with me saying food and recipes are meant to be shared, not owned.

For my main dish, I ordered the pan seared salmon, curried leeks, mussels, poached eggs and chive butter. This was as classically French as it gets with the delicious sauce further enriched when the egg yolk bursts into the sauce. This was served with irresistibly parmesan truffle chips which were to die for.  

This dish exuded the love, passion and generosity of the chef and his sous chef Ed who has earned the nickname of ‘the ED Chef’.  

I was tempted by the preserved berry crumble and whisky anglaise but gave in to the classic sticky toffee pudding and caramel sauce. The plating of this dessert was elevated by the beautiful plate which had a hole in the middle that perfectly encased the pudding.

Some of the delicious dishes from the weekend

It was what I expected from a well made pudding, light and sticky with traditional caramel sauce. A part of me wanted a non-traditional version of the sauce which can be through the introduction of a salty or sour element or the addition of rum or whisky.

My go to sauce for sticky toffee pudding is my velvet tamarind caramel sauce which brings just enough sourness to change the game. A salted, miso or date caramel will also lend some character to this well loved dessert.

The next morning, ahead of a super busy day, chef made the time to cook us a full Irish breakfast with deliciously juicy sausages, intensely smoky bacon, black pudding, fried bread, Irish soda bread, eggs and more. This was enough to keep me going all day.

I had the pleasure of working in the kitchen where I saw the other side of chef Boyle which was a focused and accomplished chef who ran a professional kitchen without any faff or noise.

The MasterChef dinner

The MasterChef dinner comprised four courses of standout dishes designed by Matthew Samuels, Forest Kwok and Nichola Rapson.  

The first course comprised three canapé-style starter including Caribbean Jerk pork belly, crispy coconut rice with apple and mustard, blue and red tostada, guasacaca, salsa macha and queso blanco, and crab korokke, Japanese mayo and pickled shallots. This course left everyone wanting more.

Fish course of torched cod, miso, orange and rum espuma and local trout roe by Matthew Samuels was exquisite with perfectly cooked fish and utterly delicious sauce.

This was followed by Irish beef, charred corn puree, corn velouté, Venezuelan chimichurri and crispy leek by Nickolas Rapson. The corn flavours on this dish was at another level, beautiful, silky smooth and delicious. I watched chef Boyle ‘nurse’ the corn puree so not surprised at the final result.

At the food demonstration

They say dessert should leave an impression on a diner’s mind and the dessert of chocolate, praline and yuzu paris brest by Forest kwok did not disappoint. There wasn’t anyone who did not wish there was a second portion. It was sensational and a true knockout of a dessert.

My turn

For my food demo, I made a salad of honey, black pepper and balsamic beetroot, Irish potatoes spiced with mustard seeds, chilli, and spring onions and a crowd pleasing creamy chicken sauce using mascarpone, sun dried tomatoes, shallots, chillies and coloured peppers.

To make chef Boyle’s crab salsa – mix finely diced courgette and tomato concasse with fresh crab meat, capers, coriander, olive oil and lemon juice. Check the balance of ingredients and adjust to your taste.

Serve this with potato croquettes, salmon or any white fish or use to elevate a classic scampi dish. Tomato concasse is a tomato that has been peeled, seeded and chopped to needed dimensions.

Coming next week

Next week, I will bring you highlights from the opening of the latest fine dining experience, restaurant Fifty-Two at Rudding Park.

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Yemi’s Food Stories: Sweet smells at the Lavender Rooms in Knaresborough

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

Food is emotive, engaging all the five senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing.

From hearing the sizzle of onions and garlics in olive oil to the aroma that immediately fills the room, the senses play a key role in our dining experiences.

Smell can also be controversial when it comes to food – from pungent smells of fermented sauces or condiments, stinky blue cheeses to sweet smell of lavender, we all have our own opinions on the smells we love to associate with our food.

A little too much of the wrong aromas and the dish is described as over powering or over bearing. Lavender is one of the smells that a lot of people only associate with their nan’s drawers or perfumes.

Lavender smells and looks wonderful in many applications but most of us don’t reach for it when we are cooking.

The Lavender Rooms at Market Place in Knaresborough is steeped in history. Located in the oldest chemist in England dating back to 1720, it acquired the name when the wife of a chemist bottled her lavender water in the upstairs rooms.

The rooms can’t get any more traditional with their exposed low beams, which were the perfect height for me but tall people need to watch their heads. Dotted around the lavender rooms were relics of history, pictures telling stories that date back centuries.

With a good selection of wraps, melts, sandwiches, breakfast, hot dishes and rarebits including ploughman’s lunch, pate of the day and Yorkshire rarebits served with options of bacon or sausage, I was spoilt for choice. Their board showcased several dishes of the day offering even more options.

I was interested in their cream tea selection, which included sweet and savoury options. The savoury cream tea included savoury scone with cream cheese and red salsa served with a pot of Yorkshire team.

I ordered their signature lavender and lemon scone, which came with an option of jam or lemon curd and clotted cream. The one and only time I’d had lavender in scones was over 20 years ago and I remember being intrigued by the smell and the conversation with other ladies about the unusual flavour. The purply lavenders dotted the scones making them ‘a thing of beauty’ and compelling eat.

I was keen to see how their lavender and lemon scone compared and whether it would live up to my memories. As soon as the scone was served, I couldn’t resist taking a whiff to enjoy the delicate lavender and subtle smell of lemon. It was exactly as I imagined and tasted even better; the scones were well risen with a crispy top.

I had mine with jam and clotted cream washed down with a cup of tea and a bottle of Harrogate water.

Spoilt for choice

The manager Rowan Bardon was passionate about the business and was delighted to tell me that everything was made fresh on site everyday. Their option to buy now and eat later allows diners to order a nibble to take away.

With their outdoor sitting on a sunny day, indoor sitting in multiple rooms overlooking the street you are spoilt for choice for a more intimate cream tea or full blown meal with friends and family.

As I left the Lavender Rooms, I thought about other polarising food smells and rose petals and rose water come to mind so my next challenge is to make a rose-scented dessert.

Knaresborough is a noted town with lots of celebrity links so make plans to visit the Lavender Rooms and enjoy their warm hospitality and the great Yorkshire food.

Next week, I will be visiting Rudding Park kitchen garden, an awarding winning Harrogate based cake designer and Betty’s cookery space so look out for my food stories on all of them.

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