WHEN it comes to the food served in their restaurants, Gwent chefs are always on the look out for the highest quality ingredients.

But, as many are proving, high quality can be found on the doorstep with chefs keen to use local produce in their products.

As well as saving the food miles, it ensures freshness in ingredients leading to meals which truly do tickle the tastebuds.

One Gwent chef who is a firm believer in homegrown produce is Mike Hendry, the head chef at Llansantffraed Court, in Monmouthshire.

Mr Hendry has his own kitchen garden which is part Welsh Government-funded.

He said: “We have a glass house and 12 beds which we grow all our produce on. What we grow changes through the seasons but at the moment rhubarb, asparagus and wild garlic are growing really well.”

When it comes to making the most of local produce, Mr Hendry recommends a recipe for trio of lamb with asparagus and wild garlic (serves two).

Ingredients

One lamb loin, in 150g portions

100g lamb sweet breads, floured

100g asparagus

500g wild garlic

250g butter

one potato, diced

400ml chicken stock

For lamb kofta

100g lamb mince

20g cumin powder

10g diced shallot

one garlic clove

½ a chilli

20g coriander

Method

To make the lamb kofta, sauté and then mix all the ingredients in a bowl, before moulding into 40g ball shapes. Then fry the shapes in a little hot oil until they are cooked through.

To make the asparagus, fry the asparagus in butter before adding the 200ml of chicken stock. Stop when the asparagus is tender.

To make the lamb, pan fry the loin skin side down for three minutes until it becomes golden, brown and crisp. Then turn over and seal until all the flesh has a little colour.

Then add some butter and cook for a further four minutes, take off the pan and leave it to rest. Meanwhile, add sweet bread and kofta into another hot pan and cook until golden brown in more butter.

To make the wild garlic puree, sauté the wild garlic until soft. Add 200ml of chicken stock before bring to the boil quickly. Then blitz in a food processor until smooth.

For the crispy potatoes, deep fry the diced potato in oil at 180 degrees.

To serve, spoon some puree onto a plate. Arrange the sautéed wild garlic on top. Then place the lamb loin, kofta and sweetbreads around the dish and garnish with asparagus and crisp potatoes.

Another Gwent chef who is always keen to use local produce is Steve White, head chef at the Ruperra Arms in Newport.

He said: “We used to have an allotment at my previous place, where we turned the back garden into a growing space – we would grow peas, green beans and strawberries.

“I now get most of my vegetables from my regulars. They come in with their onions, courgettes and herbs and we often trade a pint with them for it.”

Mr White, who is releasing a new menu in a week’s time, said: “Peas, beans and watercress are really starting to come into season. A new dish we are going to be trialling is pan-fried hake, with a pea and mint risotto.”

One recipe Mr White recommends to make the most of local produce is spring welsh lamb rack, colcannon shepherds pie tart, chargrilled chicory and red wine reduction

Ingredients

shepherds pie filling

savoury tartlet case

mashed potato

1/2 of chicory

3 bone rack of lamb

spring onions, chopped

red wine sauce

sprig of chervil

Method

Pan fry your lamb rack until brown.

Place on a baking tray and place in a pre-heated oven gas mark 5 / 180C for 30 mins.

Place your shepherds pie mix in your tart case and pipe on your mashed potato

Chargrill your half a chicory and add your chopped spring onions to your mash.

Remove your lamb from the oven and allow to rest before you carve it in to three.

Warm up your tart and chicory and get ready to plate.

Place your mash on your plate, place your tart by the side, carve your lamb into three and place around the mash.

Add your chicory and serve with a red wine sauce and garnish with chervil.

Simon King, head chef at Restaurant 1861, in Abergavenny said: “We grow the vast majority of what we cook. Alan Underhill, who is my father-in-law, has two big greenhouses where he grows everything which can be grown in the UK climate.

“He will grow things early for us in advance of their natural season. He has just started planting potato and carrot seeds which aren’t in season until much later in the year."

“He is only 20 minutes down the road and it is great for him as he is so involved with the family.”

Mr King, who lives in Abergavenny with his wife and two young children, said: “We are in a rural area so we are able to forage a lot of vegetables from local woods. We have found lots of wild garlic and wild mushrooms which are great to use."

“Dandelions are also fantastic, you can put them in a panna cotta or lightly batter them to make a tempura.”

If you fancy going for a dessert dish to make the most of your local produce, Mr King recommends an apple tart tatin.

Ingredients

300g caster sugar

100ml water

eight apples

Four puff pastry discs rolled into 15cm circles, three to four mm thick

Method

Dissolve the sugar in the water in a copper pan, bring to the boil and boil hard until an amber coloured caramel is achieved.

Then quickly pour the hot caramel into 15cm blinis style pans, (any deep oven proof dish or frying pan will suffice, but cut your pastry discs accordingly).

Peel and core your apples, arrange neatly in the pan (on top of your caramel, and bearing in mind that your display will eventually be upside down).

Cover the apples with your pastry disc.

Pierce a couple of holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape and place in a pre heated oven at 200C and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until bubbling at the edges and the pastry is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a minimum of one minute.

Turn the tart out onto a plate and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Alternatively if it’s just a simple snack you want Bob Evans, the head chef at the Waterloo Hotel and Bistro, in Newport, recommends a simple herb omelette.

Mr Evans also grows many of his own ingredients – in a place you wouldn’t expect.

He said: “I grow all of my own herbs. We have chives, parsley, basil, sage and coriander all growing on site – in the car park.

“At home I also like to grow blackcurrants, tomatoes and courgettes. I buy the rest of my vegetables from Cardiff Market.”

Mr Evans added: “With many herbs currently being in-season, I would recommend making a simple herb omelette like we have on our light bites menu. It’s easy to do and tastes great.”