A Taste of Hampshire

Cooking the first course was Andres Alemany of The Purefoy Arms (Preston Candover) and Pulpo Negro (Alresford), who brought a Spanish twist to core Hampshire produce, Romsey chalk stream trout. This was beautifully poached so that it was melt-in-the-mouth and served with roasted peach, pata negra ham, almonds, with an Amontillado sherry to drink. Trout and sherry? Not a common pairing, but the trout had a surprisingly delicate flavour that was well complemented by the tart fruit, salty pork and the sweet, nutty notes of the sherry. A beautiful dish that highlighted the possibility for culinary and cultural fusion in the most unlikely of places.

For the fish course, the very humble David Wykes of the tiny Verveine restaurant in Milford-on-Sea introduced a food story on a plate, or rock, which had the whole table rapt. Not only had he sourced the seabass from fishermen off Milford beach (the restaurant itself has a fishmongers attached), and the seaweed and sea herbs from Milford beach, but also the frozen rock it was served on and the sea water poured over shells with liquid nitrogen to release a salty mist while we ate. A forest-inspired martini, infused with burnt wild sage syrup and Douglas fir vodka, served with Pernod-soaked grapes, was an unexpected, but perfect accompaniment, as was a salty rye cracker on the side. The chef's instruction was to eat with our hands, scooping up the delicate home-smoked bass and creamy dressing from the ice cold rock (Wykes had carted them up from the beach and kept them in the freezer for this very purpose). With drama and theatre, this was a stand-out dish, made all the more memorable by Wykes' clear passion for his ingredients, with equal thought put into every element of the experience.

For the main event, Durrant presented a BBQ pork belly with burnt apple puree, crushed turnips and hispi cabbage. Pork belly has the potential to be rich and overwhelming, but the dish was excellently balanced with earthy notes from the turnips and a slight spice from the puree. A glass of dry, cloudy Hampshire Heritage cider acted almost as a palate cleanser, cutting through the fattiness of the pork and rich cream sauce, whilst supporting the apple component of the dish. As winner of the main dish element in 2014's Great British Menu, Durrant is no stranger to getting across his passion for local produce on a plate, with this pork dish harking back to the heritage of the Hampshire hog.

Luke Holder introduced the dessert with the message that he and co-patron of Hartnett Holder & Co (at the Limewood Hotel, New Forest), Angela Hartnett, have decided to have some fun with their food. Thus we were presented with a very nostalgic bowl of strawberry jelly and blancmange, which Holder pointed out, looked suspiciously like a whipped up Angel Delight. Luckily, the taste and texture could in no way be compared to a packet mix, managing to be indulgently creamy yet wonderfully light at the same time - a pudding that definitely left you considering seconds. The star of course, was the strawberries, sourced from the Beaulieu estate near the New Forest, and just coming into season - Holder detailed the crucial turning point at the start of June that marks the change from flavourless, watery fruit, to the sweet and fragrant berries that we know and love. To drink, Entice dessert wine from Hattingley Valley, the first of its kind in the UK, beautifully sweet yet crisp and with a slight tang, making it much more refreshing than some of the syrupy, honey-like versions available.