The Hidden Hut: Irresistible Recipes from Cornwall’s Best-kept Secret. Simon Stallard

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      Lunch is the main meal to be served from our beach kitchen. The menu is chalked up daily, often twice daily if it’s busy, and we whizz through produce. Our food doesn’t follow any particular cuisine; instead, we allow ourselves to be influenced by the seasons and the fresh produce they bring, and even by the variable weather. Cornish soul food might be a way to describe it.

      When browsing the recipes for inspiration, let yourself be guided by the day around you. If it’s a hot, sunny day, bring out the salads and grilled fish. If it’s cold and blustery, warm up with spiced dhals and slow-cooked joints of lamb.

      If you’re interested in having a go at building your own wood grill or fire pit, there is a feature (see here) that takes you through it step by step. Though I warn you: once you start cooking with fire, it can get pretty addictive!

      Soup Sundays at the Hidden Hut

      Come wind, rain or shine, a warming bowl of soup can solve everything.

      Soup Sundays have become a bit of an institution at the Hidden Hut. The appeal of hugging a warm pot of soup after a long coastal walk is pretty unbeatable. The atmosphere on these days is great — everybody is in day-off mode in their wellies or walking boots. Dogs and children play on the beach. The super-brave even swim here from the village! The place becomes a hub where you end up bumping into old friends and meeting new ones.

      Soup Sundays for us are all about the spring and autumn months when the temperature starts to dip and the best soup veggies are in season. We get up early in the morning and prep mountains of produce to make fresh stocks, adding flavours layer by layer. The night before, we roast chicken, simmer turbot frames (bones), braise oxtail and prove bread; everything is done from scratch. At noon we chalk up around five or six fresh soups onto the boards and offer them all for a fiver with bread, butter and a selection of toppings. For us, soups aren’t an apologetic starter made from yesterday’s leftovers; they are served as our main meal of the day on our busiest day of the week!

      Humble and soul-warming, soup is a delicious treat at home, too. Just like at the hut, you can transform simple homemade soups into a more substantial offering with a selection of toppings — crispy onions, fried herbs, croutons, grated cheese, toasted seeds and nuts — whatever takes your fancy. Bread is important, too. If you can, go for an uncut fresh loaf or bake your own. If not, just toast what you’ve got topped with grilled cheese!

      © Sally Mitchell

      PUMPKIN GINGER SOUP WITH CHESTNUTS AND CRISPY FRIED SAGE

      A warming autumnal soup — ideal for blustery days. It is great with a side of melted cheese on toast.

      Serves 4–6

      1kg peeled and deseeded pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into wedges

      2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

      1 tbsp honey

      1 large white onion, diced

      2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

      30g piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

      850ml vegetable stock

      ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

      ½ tsp ground cinnamon

      sunflower oil, for shallow-frying

      a few sage leaves

      30ml double cream

      100g peeled cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7. Put the pumpkin in a roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil and the honey. Season with salt and pepper, and mix everything together well. Roast in the oven for 30–40 minutes until tender and caramelised.

      While the pumpkin is roasting, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and sweat off the onion, garlic and ginger, until the onion is tender. Add the cooked pumpkin to the pan, along with the stock, nutmeg and cinnamon, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer everything together for 10 minutes.

      Meanwhile, heat 1cm of sunflower oil in a small frying pan over a high heat. Flash-fry the sage for 30 seconds or until crispy, then drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.

      Take the soup pan off the heat and stir in the cream. Blend the soup using a blender or food processor, then adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve the soup topped with the chestnuts and crispy sage leaves.

      ROASTED SQUASH AND CAULIFLOWER DHAL

      In the autumn, when the coastal path is swarming with hikers, veggie dhal absolutely flies out of our kitchen. If you swap the yogurt for a non-dairy alternative, you have yourself a tasty and substantial vegan lunch.

      Serves 4

      1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks

      1 cauliflower, cut into large florets

      2 tbsp sunflower oil

      2 tbsp coconut oil

      1 tbsp mustard seeds

      2 onions, diced

      3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

      50g piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

      2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

      1 tbsp ground cumin

      1 tbsp ground coriander

      1 tsp paprika

      1 tsp ground turmeric

      1 tbsp curry powder

      2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

      1 vegetable stock cube

      400ml coconut milk

      350g СКАЧАТЬ