The first time I went out in Finnebrogue I thought – this is amazing

The first time I went out in Finnebrogue I thought – this is amazing

31 August 2016

REINDEER Moss, nettle tops and wild berries were all up for grabs at the Finnebrogue estate last week as top chef Chris Burt went foraging for a special dinner.

The award-winning Shropshire based chef’s ‘Off The Cuff’ branded menus, based on the best ingredients of the day, are already popular in his three restaurants across the water.

After an exploratory foraging day for Finnebrogue Artisan in April Chris returned to tackle an eight-course menu at a pop-up-restaurant called ‘The Roof Garden’ — pairing the day’s finds outdoors with the estate’s famous venison.

Venison tapas, roasted beetroot and acorn veloute, Young Buck cheese and Strangford crab misubi were among the final adventurous dishes served to over 60 diners on Thursday evening.

Used to adventure, Chris grew up in the kitchens of his mother’s huge restaurant in West Africa, then went on to train at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and The Savoy. 

He has also recently returned from a trip to Northern Thailand where he and his wife Jo volunteered at The Chai Lai Orchid Elephant Eco Resort, helping the charity ‘Daughters Rising’, who take in Burmese refugees who have been rescued from sex trafficking.

He also worked with Burmese and Vietnamese orphans teaching much-needed cooking skills and working at the infamous Ivan Orkin ramen restaurant.

Chris said that when he was presented with a taste of Finnebrogue venison by a company representative in England, he knew it was the “real deal” and wanted to know more.

“This event at the Roof Garden is the first opportunity for many people here to try the sort of thing I do,” he said. “I do it all the time back home in my three restaurants, it’s a great vehicle to try great produce.

“I only use local produce and Denis [owner Denis Lynn] has done a brilliant job here. People are genuinely interested in this sort of enterprise.”

Discussing his menu plans, Chris said that pretty much anything growing naturally on the estate was fair game, minus mushrooms, just in case they are poisonous.

“There will obviously be some Asian ingredients but we will just doing what people did years ago,” he said. “I will be taking the venison and pairing it with something we have foraged such as Reindeer Moss.

“Reindeer Moss is massively underestimated. It grows on bark, it is for reindeer to eat, so we will have to forage for it at their height, we might have to jump up a bit.

“Although it’s reindeer food it grows here naturally.

“One of the first times I went out in the wagon here at Finnebrouge I thought — this is amazing what they have. The reindeer moss will double in size, become like a sponge and we will deep fry it. Nettles are also good when they are young.

“It is going to be a fantastic.