An original menu for your Christmas dinner in association with Faversham Enterprise Partnership

With our love of all things locally produced and truly Kentish, Kent Life has teamed up with three of our favourite chefs from 2011 to bring you a highly original menu for your Christmas dinner. Brought to you in association with Faversham Enterprise PartnershipMeet the chefsDaniel HattonHead chef, Thackerays85 London RoadTunbridge WellsTN1 1EA01892 511921Tell us a bit about youI was born and have lived in Mayfield, East Sussex for the last 28 years. I’ve cooked for 10 years in top restaurants in Kent and London, learning my art before coming to Thackeray’s as head chef 12 months ago. I’ve worked within the Richard Phillips group for many years, starting with my first chef’s job at Thackeray’s 10 years ago as a commis chef.Your advice for Christmas cooks?Preparation is the key to making it easy, plan carefully where you’re going to get your ingredients, so you can get the best product on the marketWhat will you be eating this Christmas?To be honest, it won’t be much – if anything! By the time Christmas draws to an end I won’t want to see any more turkey, stuffing or Christmas puddings, so it will mostly be a good glass of wine or a pint of local beer.Do you get a break at Christmas?Not usually, it’s all about the restaurant and meeting the customers’ demands, I will leave a break until after New Year.Top tip when buying ingredients?Buy the best you can afford, as this will make a big difference to the end dish. It’s important to buy local, as it should be a better price and a better-flavoured product.Alex EindebankHead chef, The Plough InnStalisfield GreenFaversham ME13 0HY01795 890256Tell us a bit about youI grew up in North London, studied for my professional chef diploma at Westminster College then spent three years working in France, Italy and Austria before moving to Kent in 2006. I worked at The Sportsman in Seasalter and was head chef at Le Petit Poisson in Herne Bay. I moved back to London for work but missed the Kentish food culture, so returned to take on the head chef at The Plough, where the ethos of using produce from the surrounding countryside really suits my style of cooking.Your advice for Christmas cooks?Keep it simple! Christmas is about family, not slaving over the stove.What will you be eating this Christmas?Turkey and stuffing sandwiches, hopefully!Do you get a break at Christmas?NO!Top tip when buying ingredients?Try local farm shops for great value and unusual produce. Mallards Farm, on the way to Whitstable, does amazing purple sprouts. And small farms like Snoad Farm in Otterden are great places to buy your Christmas turkey – it will taste better than your average supermarket equivalent.Ryan TaskerHead chef, Wallett’s Court Country House Hotel Westcliffe, St. Margarets-at-CliffeDover CT15 6EW01304 852424Tell us a bit about youOriginally I’m from South Queensferry, Scotland, where I learnt my trade in country house hotels in Perthshire. I’ve been working in England for the last 10 years.Your advice for Christmas cooks?Try something different instead of turkey, which is an Americanism anyway.What will you be eating this Christmas?I’m not sure of this year yet, but last year I cooked for 12 people and we had goose and smoked belly of pork.Do you get a break at Christmas?Not really, just my days off.Top tip when buying ingredients?Always try to purchase local produce whenever possible. Also, if you give your local butcher enough notice he will be able to smoke any meats you may need.

Pressed pigs head, crispy ears and piccalilliIngredientsServes: 4One pig’s head – ask your local butcher to keep one aside for youOne gelatine leafHalf a bunch of parsley10 baby pickled cucumbers1 tbspn capersFour anchovy filletsCelery and onionTo drinkChapel Down Flint DryChapel Down WinerySmall Hythe, near Tenterden TN30 7NG01580 763033MethodAsk your butcher to remove the hair on the pig’s head or gently go over it with a blowtorch, taking care not to singe the skin. Remove the ears. Put the pig’s head in a deep saucepan or stock pot, add two chopped carrots, two bay leaves and a splash of white wine vinegar. Pour water over to about three inches above the immersed head, bring to the boil and simmer for about five hours, topping up the water as needed. Turn off the heat and cool in the liquid, then remove and take off the outer skin and fat, discard the eyes and pick off every piece of meat, gland and brain. Pass one pint of the cooking liquor through a fine sieve into another pan and reduce by half. While the liquid is reducing, soak one litre of gelatine in cold water; when soft and pliable add the gelatine to the reduced liquor and turn off the heat. Allow to dissolve, pass again through a sieve into a jug and cool completely. Lightly oil a terrine mould or loaf tin and line with clingfilm, pressing to the sides. Finely chop half a bunch of parsley, 10 baby pickled cucumbers, a tablespoon of capers and four anchovy fillets and mix through the meat, adding one teaspoon of English mustard. Season. Put half the mixture into your terrine or loaf tin, cover the cooled jelly liquor, add the rest of the meat, pressing down firmly, finally covering with a thin layer of jelly. Tap the terrine mould onto a hard surface to remove any air bubbles. Place in fridge to set for a couple of hours.For the crispy pig’s earsPlace the ears in a saucepan, add a chopped carrot, a chopped leek, two chopped celery sticks, a chopped onion and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for two to three hours. Cool completely in the liquid, remove from the liquor and remove the bulbous end that was joined to the head. Slice into 5mm strips and roll each piece through flour, beaten egg and finally breadcrumbs. See ‘to serve.’

To serveRemove terrine from mould, slice while still wrapped in clingfilm. Lay the slices on a board, removing the clingfilm. In a deep saucepan heat some vegetable or rapeseed oil and fry the pig’s ears until golden brown. Remove from the oil onto kitchen paper. Finish with piccalilli, toast and a sprinkling of sea salt. Serve.Roasted butternut squash tart with sage and Kentish blue cheese mousseIngedientsServes: 4500g puff pastry1 butternut squash1 bunch sage200g of Kentish blue cheese (made with vegetarian rennet)100g capers2 fresh quinces300g double cream1 bunch watercress100g hazelnutsSalt and pepperOlive oilTo drinkChapel Down Pinot Blanc 2009Chapel Down WinerySmall Hythe, near Tenterden TN30 7NG01580 763033Method Roll out the puff pastry to approx 1 cm thick and 22 cm diameter, refrigerate for one hour. Peel and dice the butternut squash, put the pieces into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, toss together and season. Pick the leaves from the sage stems and add stems to the bowl, toss all together, put onto a greased baking tray and bake at 180˚C/Gas 4 until the squash is soft and golden brown. Cool. Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and add the squash evenly on top. Slice 10 sage leaves into strips and place on top of the squash, crumble on the blue cheese and bake at 180˚C/Gas 4 until the puff pasty is golden brown and and the cheese has melted. Cool on a wire rack.Sage mousseWhip the double cream to stiff peaks, chop six leaves of sage and the hazelnuts, add both to the cream, season and fold together. Cover with cling film and put in fridge. Peel and dice the quince, wrap in tin foil and bake until very soft, approx 45 min, blend until smooth, adding water if needed to achieve a smooth paste.To servePut a couple of spoonfuls of quince pur�e onto each plate and a wedge of warm tart on top. Add four to five capers, two quenelles of sage cream and garnish with watercress.Kent producerKingcott CheeseIden Manor FarmStaplehurstTN12 0ES 01580 892478Roasted crown of Kentish partridgeIngedientsServes: 42 medium partridges100g dried porcini mushrooms or 500g fresh1 kilo potatoes1 litre double cream3 litres good chicken stock1 bunch thyme1 large celeriac1 Savoy cabbage2 carrots1 turnip1 large onionSmall bunch red grapes100g smoked bacon100g shallots1 bulb garlic1 bottle red wineTo drinkChapel Down Union Red 2009Chapel Down WinerySmall Hythe, near Tenterden TN30 7NG01580 7630MethodTake the wings and leg off the crown of the birds, place in a pre-heated pan and colour on all sides. Slice and add the shallots, two gloves of garlic, two sprigs of thyme and a half a bottle of red wine. Reduce by half. Add two litres of chicken stock, bring to a simmer and braise the partridge legs and wings till soft and the meat falls from the bone; remove and leave to cool. For the sauce, reduce the liquor to approx 500ml, then pass through a fine sieve, keep to one side until ready to serve. Flake the meat from the wings and legs. Bring the remaining litre of stock to the boil, add the dried porcini mushrooms to rehydrate them, pass through a sieve and reserve stock for later. If using fresh mushrooms, just bring the stock to the boil. Slice the potatoes and start to layer in a baking dish: one layer of potatoes, then a layer of partridge meat and mushrooms, repeating until a final layer of potatoes. Pour in chicken stock to the top. Bake at 180’C/Gas Mark 4 until golden brown.Peel and dice the celeriac, cover with milk, a sprig of thyme and a garlic clove, boil until soft, place in food blender and blitz until smooth, then pass through a sieve and add a little truffle oil. Store until needed. Finely dice the carrot, onion and turnip, put in a pre-heated pan with olive oil, add some picked thyme and the sliced cabbage, cook until soft. Add the cream and reduce until thick, place to one side, keeping it warm.Bring remaining red wine to the boil and add the smoked bacon, thyme and garlic, add the grapes to the red wine liquor and take off the heat. Place the partridge crown into a pre-heated pan and colour on all sides, then cook in a pre-heated oven at 200’C/Gas 5 for 12-15 mins, turning halfway through the cooking. Leave to rest.

To serveBring the sauce back to the boil and whisk in a knob of butter to thicken it slightly and give it some shine. Put a portion of the potatoes, a spoonful of cabbage and celeriac pur�e on ther plate, carve the partridge and lay on top, spoon over the hot sauce and garnish with grapes. Serve.Pumpkin pie with cranberry compote IngedientsServes: 4Pumpkin pie filling0.5 cup of maple syrup1.5tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp ground cloves and 1 tsp ground all spice 0.5 tsp ginger0.5 tsp vanilla extract0.5 tbsp salt4 eggs3 cups pumpkin pur�e500ml evaporated milk Pie pastry3.5 cups plain flour1 tbsp sugar1 tbsp orange zest0.5 tbsp salt0.75lb butter4 egg yolks� cup double cream Cranberry compote500g fresh cranberries300g sugar and 100ml fresh orange juice0.5 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves1 piece of mace, 1 star anise To drinkBiddenden Gribble Bridge Dry Ortega 2009Biddenden VineyardsGribble Bridge Lane, Biddenden TN27 8DF01580 291726MethodMix all the ingredients for the pie filling together. Set aside.Pie pastryAdd all dry ingredients to a food processor through a sieve, add the diced butter and blitz for 30-60 seconds. Add cream and egg yolks (pre whisked) until the pastry binds together, leave to rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. Roll out the pastry and line a 9 in tart case. Rest pastry then bake blind. Add the pie filling mixture and bake at 170˚C for 30-35 minsRoasted chestnutsAdd chestnuts to a hot pan with a splash of oil and 2 tbsps of butter, cook until golden brown. Deglaze the pan with 1 tspn of balsamic vinegar. Season and serve on top of the pie.

Cranberry compoteAdd sugar to a heavy based pan and heat gently to a caramel stage. Stop the sugar over cooking by adding orange juice, then add the cranberries and a spice bag (toast all the spices in a hot, dry pan and tie up in a muslin cloth). Cook out until all the sugar has dissolved.Kent producerTJ Wholesale FruiterersUnit 19, Hedgend Industrial EstateSt. Nicholas at Wade, Birchington CT7 0NB 01843 848525