David Everitt-Matthias Kitchen Confidential

Notching up 28 years at the same address, David Everitt-Matthias of Cheltenham’s two-Michelin-starred Le Champignon Sauvage has certainly learnt how to make the most of its bountiful surroundings

Cooking With

Every morning, my wife Helen and I take our white boxer Alba (yes, he’s named after the truffle) out walking around the Forest of Dean. What we see and pick influences our menu [Helen has looked after the restaurant’s front of house since opening]. At this time of year the walkways are ripe with mushrooms. Morels, particularly, are really strong at the beginning of April. Their price comes down to around £35 per kg now, from around £90 at other times. I’ve even found a couple of hundred grams in a local B&Q car park. The mulch they put down makes for perfect growing conditions, so keep your eyes peeled. I’ll serve them with sautéed woodruff and Jersey Royals, both of which are bang in season right now.

Obviously, spring means spring lamb – and it’s the most popular dish on the menu. We get ours from a brilliant producer in Cinderford. Wild garlic will be up and about now too, as well as Scarlet Elf Cup mushrooms that look like they’re wearing bright red little pixie hats. They retain their colour brilliantly in cooking and have a delicate, perfumed taste. It’s no coincidence that produce that blooms at the same time sings together so well.

Peas, purple sprouting broccoli and asparagus are also great this time of year. And, like most fish, you can often tell their abundance by the price. Native lobster is at its cheapest now (some £6 cheaper per kg) and turbot is also keenly priced, so we’ll be using plenty of that on the menu.

I describe the restaurant’s style as masculine, all year round. We extract everything we can from the ingredient, depending on the season. Now, everything will taste as light and fresh as possible, with broths and infusions.

It’s great to see relaxed fine dining come to the fore nowadays. People used to just come to restaurants for the food, which gave chefs huge egos. Now it’s about the whole experience, from the service to the room, to the way it makes you feel.

Who i'm using

I’ve been using my local butcher MJ & JA Watts for 28 years. TrueBaby has turnips the size of pennies with amazing concentrated flavour. Pershore Produce sources from the Prince of Wales Estate. Cheese is from Fromage to Age. Our 30-strong board is two thirds French, one third English.

Quote

‘Wild garlic will be up and about now too, as well as Scarlet Elf Cup mushrooms that look like they’re wearing bright red pixie hats’

Recipe

To make my Jersey Royals, morels and asparagus spring dish, put 50ml water and 50g butter in a small pan and heat until butter is melted. Add 100g morels and 12 Evesham asparagus spears, peeled two thirds of the way up with a vegetable peeler.

Cook for 2 minutes, remove, then add 200g Jersey Royals and 100g podded peas to the same pan and bring to the boil. Toss in another 50ml water and 50g butter, as well as 25g finely chopped chervil and the juice and grated zest of a quarter of a lemon, also returning the asparagus and morels to the pan. Cook everything until hot for 2-3 minutes then season.

Arrange the vegetables in a shallow bowl and spoon a little of the juices over, but not so much that they are swimming. Scatter some more chopped chervil over the top of the dish for the perfect springtime light supper.