Meet the team behind the award-winning menus at Dorset’s Acorn Inn at Evershot.
When it comes to combining local sourcing and exciting menus, The Acorn Inn at Evershot excels. Senior sous chef, Ana Martins, who creates all the amazing desserts at this award-winning village pub, heads up a talented international kitchen team. Between them they create seasonally inspired menus showcasing top notch Dorset ingredients, often including elements of dishes from their home countries alongside great British pub classics.
Ana, tell me about the dishes from your childhood in Portugal?
I come from a very foodie family, we would always sit down together for our meals. A favourite family supper was salted cod with potatoes and onions. I’ve adapted this dish for our current menu at The Acorn, using a fillet of line-caught cod, served with potato cream, bacon and Savoy cabbage - the cabbage element comes from a traditional Portuguese soup, so this combines two much-loved dishes from my childhood. I also love to make Portuguese water bread (pão de água) which is a favourite with guests.
What inspired you to train as a chef?
I’ve been cooking for my family since I was eight, and really enjoyed it, so it was the obvious choice. It also runs in the family as my great grandmother was one of the first women chefs in our area; she is my biggest inspiration. I started learning a broad range of skills as a chef but after a couple of years I specialised in pastry and desserts as I found this a very delicate and colourful art which fascinated me, it still does today.
Introduce us to your team
Luyanda Nkonyeni is my right hand, he's from South Africa and brings all the beautiful spices and heat from the traditional food of his country. He's created all our current main course dishes. Our newest addition to the team is Mickael Trehard, our chef de partie. Mickael is from Normandy and brings with him the traditional techniques from France. He enjoys creating our daily fish specials. Our amazing commis, Alex Le Gac, is also from France; he has a butchering background and has phenomenal knowledge of how to work with meat. Our strength as a team is in having different skills which all come together on our menus.
What’s on the menu for May and beyond?
I’m very excited about the dishes we have created for the spring and summer menus. They have amazing colours and flavours. We’ll be using wild garlic, asparagus, rhubarb and strawberries. All sourced, or foraged by us, locally. Building our menus is a collaborative process. Each chef comes up with ideas within our brief to use local, seasonal and sustainable produce; we then brainstorm ideas, and from this the menu comes together.
Does local sourcing influence this?
Yes, it does! We have an amazing selection of locally sourced meats from Jurassic Coast Meats, including Dorset lamb, and Sunday roasts such as sirloin of Fossil Farm beef, or slow cooked rib of Dorset pork are very popular. We also have a very productive herb garden which includes edible flowers, berries and rhubarb. Local seafood is always on the menu, our pan seared Portland crab cake with a soy, sesame and sweet chilli dip is very popular, and the local beer battered haddock with hand cut chips and crushed peas is a staple on the Acorn Classics menu.
What do you have for vegan diners?
Our menu includes dishes that are adaptable for vegan diners, as well as ones that are specifically vegan. On the spring menu we have a tomato, wild garlic and pepper tart with filo vegan pastry, and a homemade vegan burger. Luyanda has also created a new vegan dish - roasted spiced cauliflower with basmati rice, homemade tikka sauce and pappadum. Our vegan dessert menu includes a chocolate tart served with vegan gelato from our local supplier Baboo Gelato.
I enjoyed a 3D apple mousse you made last autumn, are there new desserts too?
A 3D coconut mousse with tropical fruits, it’s a summer take on that apple mousse you loved. Sticky toffee pudding, a signature dessert for The Acorn, also has a summer version with mascarpone and raspberries. And I’m using poached rhubarb on Bea’s vanilla cheesecake, which is always on the menu in some format. I also love making fresh Portuguese tarts – it’s a frequent guest request. The kitchen team love them too!
And what would be your perfect supper?
A huge seafood platter of king prawns, mussels with a vinaigrette salad, a Portuguese seafood rice and Portland crab pate, paired with a crisp, dry white wine – or a passionfruit sangria!
Find out more at acorn-inn.co.uk
