The Royal St Martin hotel is hosting a supper club… nothing out of the ordinary about that, of course, but in this supper club all the ingredients for the dishes are sourced locally.
The idea comes from the hotel’s chef, Rory Purdie. He moved to Jersey three years ago from his native home in rural north Lancashire… difficult to find anywhere more rural in the UK than the Trough of Bowland, situated between Clitheroe and Lancaster, where he grew up on the family farm at Quernmore.
He has now started a monthly themed ‘Supper Club’ on every last Thursday of the month championing the best local produce that Jersey has to offer, finding produce from local farmers to individuals with apiaries and small holdings.
There have been two monthly events so far, at the time of writing. Suppliers have included Stinky Bay Brewing Company, Jade’s Fisheries, Jersey Dairy, and local beef Jersey-Angus beef and honey. Saddleback pork comes from the very near-by La Cornetterie Farm, home of Sprouts Farm Club… a few hundred yards away?
As Rory said: ‘Not too many food miles there! And no ingredient that is not local ever features on the menu.’
Rory’s northern roots may be discerned on the menu cards: no soft and foreign terms to describe the three-course meals such as hors d’oeuvres, entrées and desserts, but ‘Snacks, Tea, and Afters’.
Rory said: ‘I hold dear the affinity I share with local farmers and food producers with whom I am working alongside to put these menus and dinner nights together. I am delighted that my own efforts might also help Jersey’s small suppliers.’
For bookings, contact The Royal, St Martin: 01534 856289
