It was 9am on a Wednesday, and whilst I'd usually be at work wishing I was
anywhere else, on this Wednesday there was no place I'd rather be.
Stood at the door of Cheltenham's 2 Michelin Starred restaurant -
Le Champignon Sauvage - I braced myself for a day behind the scenes, "helping" out in the kitchen.
I've been to Le Champignon Sauvage a few times before, so I was relatively familiar with David Everitt-Matthias' food and style of cooking (not that I could recreate it with such ease), and being a mid-week lunch service, the restaurant was thankfully not fully booked - phew! Oh, and whilst I'm here, despite me writing
this post on their set lunch menu back in 2014, it is
still the same unbelievable price of £32 for 3 courses. An offer you'd be a fool to resist. But anyway...
The team had been there a couple of hours already - no doubt making sure they were ahead of schedule in case I came in and wrecked the joint - and I was instantly made to feel welcome. Introductions made, chefs whites on, I nervously slipped into my first role prepping the roasted white chocolate mousse dessert. Given a list of ingredients and measurements, I literally cracked on (dad joke - sorry) separating an obscene number of egg yolks.
Looking round, you can see that David runs a tight ship, but the atmosphere is nowhere near like what you see on those dramatised TV chef programmes. No shouting, no swearing, it's heads down, funky tunes on and
lots of singing. There's a huge amount of respect held within the team, and that alone makes it a pleasant place to be - no wonder then that David has never missed a shift in the 29 years Le Champs has been open! Having his wife Helen by his side, ensuring each customer receives a seamless friendly service, is sure to make things easier too.
With the mousse made (roasting white chocolate in a pan is a new one to me - and utterly delicious too), I used my painting skills to paint silicone dome moulds with a mix of white chocolate and freeze dried raspberries, poured in the mousse and placed them in the chiller for use the following day.
Next up was to make the rhubarb and hibiscus sorbet that accompanied the white chocolate. Cooked, blended and strained, I was told to try it to double check the sweetness. Not really knowing what it should taste like, I asked for a second opinion and Chef decided that what it needed was a pinch of salt. Instantly the flavours came together... Mind. Blown.
With that churning away in the ice cream machine, my next assignment was to tackle butchery with David. On the menu was Saddle of Cinderford Lamb, so with some guidance I learnt how to remove the meat from the bone. I can't say I did the best job - I only managed one in the time that David did two - but it was quite a satisfying task. Skinned, trimmed and the fat scored, the saddles went in to marinade with garlic, thyme and olive oil for the next day's service.
Ok, you probably won't find me doing some epic butchery in my teeny tiny kitchen any time soon, but David gave me some great tips on how to cook a saddle at home - flatten, stuff, roll, BBQ and slice. Yum. Though I might need a garden to do this too... Bugger.
Prepping canapés was the last thing before service started. I had to artfully dot the squid ink sponges with taramasalata, lay some shredded oyster leaves on top (they really do taste of oysters!), then dust each one with a tangy vinegar powder. David made sure I had one to taste, along with a blue cheese and parmesan crisp - serious snack game.
With guests arriving, the music gets turned off and the kitchen waits with anticipation. Canapes go out, checks come in, and I'm in charge of putting the gorgeous bread selection in the oven to heat up. Two guests, two of everything, one minute in... Out, into the wooden trays, over to the pass, knock on the door and cross it off… *Breathe*
At the same time I watched the guys start plating up starters - lots of squeezing sauces from bottles and precision placing with tweezers. Then, mirroring what they were doing, I got to plate up a couple of the mackerel starters myself and sent them out of the kitchen (let's hope the diners didn't notice their dishes weren't quite as good looking as usual).
After trying a spoon of the beef tartare (served with smoked mayonnaise and charred onions), David suggested I plate up the mackerel dish to eat myself - lucky! Seared mackerel, squid ink quinoa, salt and pepper squid; beautiful.
Mains were in full swing, and I loved watching David work in such a relaxed way. I think you can really see this in his food; sure there are lots of processes and components, but it's not overly-fussy or overdone. He simply aims to get the best out of every ingredient, and constantly experiments with flavours along the way (note the burnt jerusalem artichoke and liquorice purée and
that Thai green curry sorbet - swoon). There's a reason Jay Rayner said his experience at
Le Champignon Sauvage was one of the best meals of his life!
I was handed a pressed pigs trotter and caper galette to try - part of the pork belly dish - and who thought piggys feet could be so tasty? I'll have a plate of those with a decent glass of wine please.
We chat a fair bit about wine - it's clearly no secret that I drink a lot of it - and you'll be surprised to hear that the restaurant doesn't have a huge mark up on bottles (as is the norm for most other Michelin places). Death row dishes are another topic; I float the idea of a steak done well (definitely not a steak well done), though I know I would never be able to decide. David hasn't even nailed down an answer himself yet - and he must get asked a lot. There's favourite ice cream flavours too; I couldn't choose. However, having tried a spoonful of the chocolate Mexican mole ice cream, which went with the salted caramel mousse, I think I may have a contender.
Checks started coming in for dessert, and I watched each dish come together, helping with the final garnishes. Helen had come in with some foraged pineapple weed earlier in the morning, which we were then able to use on one of the dishes. How lovely is that?!
I ended where I began; the roasted white chocolate mousse. I'd seen the finished product go out of the kitchen, so my final task was to plate one for myself. The frozen dome was accompanied with raspberry purée, fresh raspberry pieces, (clumsy) spoons of raspberry jelly, sharp raspberry powder, basil leaves, and the rhubarb and hibiscus sorbet. I tried to do the rocher (one handed quenelle) all by myself, and I
very nearly did it; it was just a bit big damnit. I'll get it right next time. After photographing my achievement, I dived in and don't think I said anything other than 'mmm' until I'd finished scraping the plate clean. The perfect ending.
There really are no words to describe how much I enjoyed my time in the kitchen at
Le Champignon Sauvage. As soon as I left I had to phone The Chap to tell him all about it before I burst with excitement, then even when he got home from work that evening, he said I still had the biggest grin on my face (something that never happens with my usual 9-5 job). I'd go back again in an instant.
David Everitt-Matthias is a fantastic chef, and Le Champs truly is a fantastic restaurant. The fact that it will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next year says it all. Just wow.
Tom Kerridge “David is just true to what he believes. He’s never swayed by fashion, and he’s always updating what he does. It is one of the most phenomenal restaurants this country has, yet one of the least known.”
Heston Blumenthal "David Everitt-Matthias is the epitome of what a truly great modern chef should be. David has been quietly revolutionising modern British cooking - a gastronomic visionary whose imagination is expressed so beautifully through his cooking."
