Vale Life spent an enjoyable
afternoon in the company of
Matt Powell, Head Chef at La Plie
in Southerndown, foraging at one
of his secret locations in the Vale.
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
What is your background? What might we expect on your FORAGING
I learnt my trade as an apprentice to Spring menu?
Raymond Blanc, then graduated to Our menus are uploaded onto our
Matt Powell’s guide to
other French haute cuisine website at www.laplierestaurant but seaweeds
establishments in the Netherlands and typically our spring lunchtime menu
UK. I think my obsession with food will consist of dishes like slow cooked Sea lettuce
helps though! Usk Valley lamb breast, female fennel, Sea lettuce is abundant around Britain
pistachios and lamb juices or red and grows where nutrients are high.
What is your cooking style? gurnard (an extremely underrated It contains most of the B vitamins and is
The cooking style often matches several fish!), mussel poêlée, sea lettuce and even believed to reduce blood pressure.
elements; we try to stick to French saffron mussel sauce. We butter it, deep fry it or steam/roast
classical techniques as much as we can. our fish over it.
We do use a waterbath for our slow Blood oranges are very good now - we
braises which just improves the tastes. use the whole fruit to create, in effect, Laver
Our passion is for food to taste how it a de-constructed Turkish orange salad Does the Welsh ‘caviar’ need any
is meant to. Fresh bread is made twice but put back together as an iced introduction! It is purple to brown in
a day and we make all our fruit mousse, a reduction of the juices, with colour and found along the Welsh
reductions ourselves. Turkish delights a jelly sweetened tea created from the coast. It has high iodine content and
have become a new petit four now. rind to flavour it and also a confit, works well with most seafood. It is the
which we cook in a water bath for two same as the Japanese nori seaweed.
Where do you source your days, adding a real zing to the dish.
ingredients? Dulse
I am a keen forager. I am always Our dinner menu consists of dishes like Dulse is a vivid purple and is high in all
looking for interesting wild foods on Scottish diver picked scallops, slow elements and minerals. It can be dried
the shore and inland. As much as cooked carrot puree, lotus root and or it can be fried with butter or, as we
possible I use local sources for my ginger crème, or rose veal fillet with do, it can be usedto steam/roast fish on.
ingredients, especially for meats, baby onion and veal sweetbread
vegetables and dairy produce. blanquette, pommes maxims, roasted Carrageen/Irish moss
cepe and veal jus. Desserts follow suit Carrageen was traditionally used in
Locally, our suppliers are Ton Farm such as Oldroyds Yorkshire forced Ireland as a medicine. It is apparently a
Vegetables, Merthyr Mawr and Oaklands rhubarb pannacotta, rhubarb sherbet, natural E number. It has quite a
Oganics of Cowbridge. We also use and sorbet and crisps. peppery taste in its raw state.
Slade Farm, that is just a stone’s throw
away from the restaurant for mutton What are your hopes for the future Note: All seaweeds are washed
and lamb whenever we can. at La Plie? scrupulously and lightly salted before use.
We use E. Ashtons, Fishmonger of We want to keep our customers happy
Cardiff and Douglas Willis Butchers in and to make it more comfortable and
Cwmbran. Less locally, I use Charlie more of an experience than simply a
Hicks Greengrocer, of Hay on Wye, in meal. I think if we keep cooking from
my opinion a purveyor of the best fruit the heart, then the accolades we want
and vegetables in the world. We also will come. We have just re-decorated
buy from Keltic Seafare of Dingwall, our downstairs dining room.
Ross Shire, Highland Game of Dundee
and Tanner’s Wines of Shrewsbury. There are only four tables of two, so
We source organic rose veal in from the atmosphere is very intimate. It takes
Alternative Meats in Shropshire. us up to twenty six covers which is
large enough for the type of food we
eventually want to progress to. We also
“I am a keen forager.
want to use the room for private dining La Plie Restaurant
for up to ten people. The plan, this 52 Beach Road, Southerndown
I’m always looking for
year, is to employ another member of Bridgend CF32 0RP
staff in the kitchen and front of house. 01656 880127
interesting wild foods
www.laplierestaurant.co.uk
on the shore and inland.”
30❧ ❧
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