Making the most of the summer season

On this week's consumption agenda, we would advise adding this fantastic pairing devised by our Head of Wine, Ronan and our brilliant Sous Chef Jason.

The Food

A wonderful, flavoursome dish makes its way onto the menu this week; crispy twice-cooked lambs’ breast, sauce gribiche and crisp summer vegetables, served with capers and fragrant mint sauce - made from our Head Chef's Mother's own recipe. When we tasted this summer medley, we all agreed that it was truly the season at its best. The vibrancy, both on the palate and on the eye, ticks all the gastronomic boxes at this time of year. Sauce Gribiche, if you haven’t heard of this before, is a mayonnaise-style, egg-based sauce made by emulsifying hard-boiled egg yolks and mustard with a neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed oil. The chopped egg whites, a handful of herbs and a sprinkling of capers are then added to the sauce to make the perfect condiment for dishes such as lamb and fish, or simply with asparagus or leeks. Ronan was quick to bring a bottle to the table once Jason had presented us with this exquisite dish.

The Wine

2015 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny 'Vieilles Vignes', Loire, France. Domaine Filliatreau, a large estate of about 50 hectares located near the city of Saumur, is run by Paul and Frédrik Filliatreau, père et fils. I immediately noticed that the strong backbone of this wine really ensured the flavours of the dish shone through. This is a big, plentiful wine - rich and powerful. The herbaceous aromas worked beautifully with the lamb, and the fine tannins were not overbearing when tasted against the crisp salad. A glorious coalition of senses.