Citylife in Lichfield April 2021

Tastes of the Season
By Simon Smith
A Feast for Spring!
Now we are in
springtime at last, the
sun is supposed to be
shining and lockdown
is gradually lifting so
that we can meet
friends in the garden
(at least that was the
theory at the time of
writing!)
This time of year is certainly one of my
favourites as far as food is concerned as some
of the finest ingredients all come together at
the same time. There is spring lamb, Jersey
Royal potatoes, English asparagus (due in May)
and garden mint peeping through the soil. The
dish I am doing this month will combine all of
these for a stunning Easter feast.
I would always recommend going to a local
butcher for meat as you will get exactly what
you want rather than to a supermarket where
you will only get what is available. For this dish,
I’m using a six-bone rack of lamb from
Russell’s, Shenstone, who also have an outlet at
The Deer Park, Hoar Cross.
The spring lamb is always lean and tender but
expect to pay a bit more at this time of year.
That being said, it’s worth every penny.
Rack of Lamb with Spinach and Mint
Mousseline (for two people)
1 x 6 Bone rack of lamb
1 x chicken breast
2oz fresh spinach
10 x leaves fresh mint
1 x egg white
8oz Jersey Royal potatoes
3oz butter
1 x bunch fresh asparagus
2tbsp redcurrant jelly
2tbsp fresh peas
Method
Take the fat off the lamb round the flesh as in
the photo. Roughly chop the chicken breast
and put into a food processor with the egg
white, 8 x mint leaves and spinach. Season with
salt and pepper and whizz together until you
have a smooth green paste. Spread this neatly
40
on to the back of the lamb where the fat was.
This will not only give you a lovely flavour but
it will also stop the lamb from drying out.
Thoroughly wash the Jersey Royals and cook
in salted water with the skins on, drain and put
into a bowl with 1oz butter, the two other
mint leaves roughly chopped and season with
salt and pepper. Lightly crush with a spoon and
mix together. Form in a pastry ring.
Cook the peas in boiling water and then put
into iced water once they have come to the
boil.
Cut the bottoms off the asparagus leaving you
about four inches from the tip down and
gently fry these in 1oz of the butter until just
giving way to the touch.
To cook all of this, preheat the oven to 190
degrees Celsius and put the lamb in for 20-25
minutes. For the last 10 minutes put in the
little cakes of potatoes.
In a frying pan melt the last 1oz of butter and
stir in the redcurrant jelly. At the last minute
add the peas and asparagus and stir until warm.
Serve with the sliced lamb rack and potato
cake.
This may all sound a bit complicated but in fact
is quite simple if you do it by stages. Don’t try
and do the whole thing together as you could
do the potato cakes in the morning and reheat
later on.
Tales of a Private Chef
I was asked to do a last minute job in St
Tropez which was for the following day so not
much notice. I asked my agent what it was and
she said she couldn’t tell me any more other
than it was at Chateau St Tropez to support
the resident chef for a week. She was not at
liberty to say who the client was but could I
please take Maltesers as the chef couldn’t find
any there and the client was very specific.
When I arrived the next morning I was shown
round the chateau. I was told that I was there
to cover the midnight until midday shift as the
client kept LA time. There are many tales from
the week but one that sticks in my mind was
on night three when the clients had booked a
private room for 12 in a restaurant for 8pm.
The body guard had been to the restaurant to
check out safety and privacy issues to make
sure the client could escape from the back
door if anything went wrong.
That evening I got to the chateau at quarter to
midnight to start my shift, went through
security and saw both blacked out limos and
the bodyguards in front of the chateau.
I went down to the kitchen and the other chef
told me they hadn’t yet been out to the
restaurant and were still round the pool
partying! His shift was at an end so he went
home and I started work on breakfast prep,
however at 1am the butler came and informed
me that the guests were not going to the
restaurant now as it was too late, and would
instead like me to serve a three-course dinner
as soon as possible as they are all starving!
The one thing about working for celebrity
clients is that plans always change at the last
minute - It doesn’t matter how organised you
think you are, there will always be a curve ball
heading your way!
Simon Smith runs a catering business from his
production kitchen in Lichfield, providing bespoke
private dinners plus wedding, corporate and event
catering. Simon also undertakes cookery
demonstrations around the country and with local
businesses such as Arthur Price and Tippers.
During the summer months Simon works for
private clients both on superyachts and in villas in
St Tropez and Europe. If you are looking for
catering or a day of cookery skills go to
www.simonsmith-chef.com
*Please take extra care when preparing and handling
hot foodstuffs. Go to www.food.gov.uk for further details.