Wood
Seasoned hardwood
Oak and beech for a long, steady fire; vine cuttings for a quick, fragrant flame under fish.
The fire
One fire,
three kitchens.
There is no gas in our kitchen. There's a hearth, a grill that raises and lowers over it, and an oven next to it. As the evening goes on, the fire changes, and so does what we cook on it.
01 · Flame
Fierce and fast
The first hours: tall flames and a lot of heat. We use them to sear, to blister peppers, to char leeks until they're black on the outside.
02 · Embers
Slow and even
When the flames drop, the embers glow red and steady. That's when meat goes on the grill and fish cooks over vine cuttings.
03 · Ash
Soft and patient
At the edges, the fire leaves warm ash. We bury beetroot and potatoes in it for hours, and the last heat of the night roasts the pears for dessert.
The kitchen
Open, small, and hot.
The kitchen is in the room, so you can watch the fire from your table. Four of us cook, and one of us is always looking after the fire.
Our head cook learned to read a fire from his grandfather, and still decides when each log goes on.
What we burn & what we cook
The fire is only as good as what goes in it.
Farms
From nearby, when we can
Vegetables, meat and dairy from producers we can visit, within an hour's drive of the kitchen.
Waste
Nothing thrown in the bin
Bones for the jus, trimmings for the staff meal, and the ash goes back to the vegetable garden.
The beetroot on the menu
spends two hours in the ash.