Felin Fach Griffin
Owners: Freehold, Charles and Edmund Inkin
Head chef: Ricardo van Ede
Covers: 60 inside; 25 outside
Covers per week: 600 (peak)
Wet:dry split: 33:67
Best-selling dishes: Black Mountains Smokery smoked salmon, black pepper tuille and basil mousse (£7.50); rib-eye of beef, red onion confit, chips & Béarnaise sauce (£17.90); roasted diver scallops, cep mushroom marmalade & black pepper butter (£10.50); local Welsh venison, autumn fruits, dauphinoise potato & butternut squash (£17.90).
New for 2008: Continue to increase the proportion of outstanding-quality produce that comes from local suppliers. Buy more meat direct from local farmers, usually as a whole animal and butcher it ourselves. As in previous years, develop our wine list on a seasonal basis with changes throughout the year. Plans are developing for a shop, due to open in Spring 2009.
Best business idea in 2007: The kitchen garden had a bad year, the market stall selling home-made and home-grown products in front of the Griffin was a success.
On the menu: Salmon tartare with lemongrass jelly & basil foam; home-made boudin blanc with langoustine & girolles; fresh salted cod fillet with chervil root mash, brown butter and autumn truffle; rump and braised neck of Welsh lamb with garlic mash and young vegetables from the kitchen garden; chocolate marquis with roasted hazelnut ice cream.
Chef's favourite ingredients: Vegetables from the kitchen garden and Penpont Organic, the pub's organic supplier; Black Mountains Smokery smoked salmon, lamb and pork from local farmers; truffles.
Three things that make your pub stand out from the crowd: Consistency of food and service over eight years; exceptionally-relaxed environment where eaters, drinkers and sleepers feel comfortable; an outstanding wine list.
Best-selling beer and wine: Tomos Watkin OSB (Hurns Brewery), Golden Valley Ale (Breconshire Brewery), both £2.50 a pint. Hacienda del Rey Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (£14) and de Gras Merlot (£14.50).
Extras: The kitchen garden was certified as organic in April 2007, the first such certification for a restaurant or pub in Wales. Despite a poor growing season, significant amounts of home-grown products were available. Next year, the garden will reach its full capacity of about 4,000sq ft.
Recipe
For the venison and autumn fruits
Ingredients (to serve four):
4 x 160gms venison steaks cut from the leg or from the loin
One half apple diced in cubes and blanched in water with lemon juice and sugar
one half pear diced in cubes and blanched in water with lemon juice and sugar.
Two figs cut in two and sprinkled with sugar and a small knob of butter and roasted in the oven for 5 - 7 minutes at 160oc
A few peeled and deseeded halved grapes
150ml red wine
2 tablespoons red port
1 sprig of thyme
40grams redcurrant jelly
50grams butter
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper the steaks.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan, add the butter and when it's foaming fry the steaks as fast as possible until done to your liking (about 6 minutes per side for medium rare).
Take the venison out of the pan and leave to rest for about ten minutes, keeping warm until the sauce is ready.
Pour the port into the pan and add the red wine sauce, thyme and redcurrant jelly. Mix the contents of the pan thoroughly, scraping up into the sauce any sediment stuck to the bottom.
Sieve through a fine sieve in a small saucepan. Add the apple, pear, fig and grapes and warm through and check the seasoning.
Serve with the Purée of Squash (see below)
For the Squash Purée
2 Medium sized Uchiki Kuri Squashes (or 2 small Butternut if Uchiki Kuri not available)
2 Sprigs of Thyme
Drizzle of Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove
Small amounts of salt, pepper and butter
Peel and remove the seeds from the squash
Cut in ? inch cubes
Mix with the salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and olive oil and put in a roasting tin, covering with tin foil
Place in the over, preheated to 180 - 210 degrees and roast for about one hour
Drain through a sieve and purée in a blending machine or by hand
Before plating, heat up on a low flame with liberal amounts of butter and check the seasoning
Felin Fach Brecon, Powys, LD3 0UB 01874 620111 www.felinfachgriffin.co.uk
