Dominique Ashford could not be in a better place for being inspired by the land. The talented chef, who runs Dale House B and B in a remote part of the Forest of Bowland, only has to look out of her window to see far-reaching forest, captivating heather-filled moorlands and fabulous farmland. It’s the countryside she spends time exploring, foraging everything from rosehips and wild garlic to bilberries and blackberries.
Her location is also the ideal inspiration for this time of year – game season and game week. Dominique works with small, independent shoots to make sure no bird or animal is wasted, aligning with her ethos of working with nature and the land.
‘Game can create some beautiful dishes like pheasant koftas and venison Wellington. The meat is good for you. Running Dale House has meant I have been able to develop my skills away from just being a pastry chef, which is what I was doing professionally before I moved up here.
‘I work a lot with game and wild meat – mostly venison but also grouse and rabbit. But the meat I get is more from a wildlife management and herd control perspective, particularly with the deer. The person I work with has a deep knowledge of deer numbers and the movements of the herds.
‘It’s work that needs to be done and it’s a quick, clean ill. The meat is healthy, lean and the animal hasn’t had any stress. It’s the way it should be done.
‘It's important that if you're going to shoot an animal, it's for a reason. The pheasant shoots I work with are very small. Once people have taken what they want, I take all the rest of them, and then I'll, I'll deal with them and freeze them, and then use the meat, you know, as and when, so it doesn't get wasted.’
Working with the seasons is at the heart of Dominique’s cooking. From her country kitchen she not only cooks showstopping feasts for bed and breakfast guests but also for the many foodies who make the pilgrimage to her home for the wild food foraging and cooking, breadmaking and fine patisserie and tarts gourmet cookery courses.
Things always taste better when they are in season ,’ says Dominique. ‘You can't get everything in season all the time, but it's better for the environment to not be buying beans from Brazil. It's makes you think outside the box a little bit, using natural, wild foods like nettles or sheep sorrel or blackberries or rosehips – things that are packed full of vitamins and have such vibrancy.
‘It’s better for the planet. I think people should eat local and seasonal food and if they can, wild food. To me, it’s the best way of eating. I'm lucky that I have a good supply of wild meat around me. I know that's not going to be the case for most people, but we can all do our little bit.’
Part of everyone doing their bit is also using local suppliers of food and Dominique works with as many as possible including Carrington’s Coffee in Carnforth and sausages from the Price family, based on a farm just over the fell from Dale House. She also uses fruit and vegetables from local growers as well as from her mum’s allotment.
‘I buy lamb from the Price family sometimes too and I know exactly how the animals have been cared for, they’ve been dealt with by local abattoirs and treated properly and that translates into the taste.
‘Carrington’s are excellent. They also have a couple of cafes which they run as a social enterprise. They're really encouraging people to come and have new experiences and a cup of coffee, and they also donate to a mental health outdoors charity. They are absolutely lovely, and the coffee is really good.’
And while the seasons may change, the constant in her life has been her Esse stove, crafted by experts in Barnoldswick. Much like Dominique, ESSE range cookers and stoves have worked in some very prestigious and demanding environments over the years; including the kitchens of the Savoy in London, Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition Hut, in royal residences, and at River Cottage. Founded in 1854, ESSE has a rich heritage and a customer list that even includes Florence Nightingale.
‘When Esse first spoke to me about using their ovens, it couldn’t quite believe it. They are incredible. The stoves are, firstly, really beautiful, very aesthetically pleasing, down to all the details and they are really well made. The one I have has induction on one side so it's super easy to clean, especially if you're doing cooked breakfast every day, like I am. The oven is brilliant, because it gets really hot, and so it's great for bread and baking.
‘I’m always baking bread in the ESSE. I make all my bread at home and the 1000 X is like using a professional bread oven. I also love the versatility of the solid cast iron top; it’s perfect for simmering a stew, making pancakes, or even searing meat or vegetables.
‘Results are more important to me than style, but thankfully there’s no compromise – ESSE range cookers look beautiful and cook beautifully. I also have a wood-burning ESSE Ironheart in one of my barns, which is great for cooking and heating the space – the people staying there can have a real adventure cooking with it.’
‘I love the fact Esse is a family run business, too. It works with my commitment to local. They have employees that have been there all of their lives, and the business has a commitment to quality that stretches all the way back to the 1800s. I feel very lucky to use their stoves.’
After ten years at Dale House Barn, she is looking to gradually move on from the bed and breakfast business and to focus even more on her baking, cookery courses and food experiences along with continuing baking for The Old Sawmill Café in Clapham, just over the Lancashire border. She also hopes to do more smaller, bespoke cookery sessions in different venues or cooking in people’s private homes.
‘Running a place of my own was always a dream for me,’ says Dominique. ‘I nearly bought a small hotel in Morocco at one point but decided that maybe North Africa was a bit destabilized. Then I was up here cycling one day and stumbled on Dale House. It was a happy accident.
‘Being here has put me on the map, I feel, and people travel from all over to eat my food. People are blown away by it and the area where we are. It's been a pleasure to work and start to really understand how to cook everything and to make it more refined, work with such great ingredients and really appreciate the seasonality of things.
‘But now I feel like I am at a crossroads where I want to really focus on cooking and teaching people how to cook. I just love cooking, and I love cooking for people, and I love teaching people how to cook. Even if I've got no one to cook for on any given day, I cook for the sake of it. I can't help myself.’
Venison Wellington recipe
Ingredients
For the venison
1.5 lb (700g) venison loin, trimmed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
For the mushroom duxelles
1 lb (450g) mushrooms (a mix of wild mushrooms is great)
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp Madeira or dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
For the assembly
6 slices prosciutto
1 sheet puff pastry (store-bought or homemade), thawed
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1 tbsp fresh rosemary or thyme (optional, for garnish)
Method
Prepare the venison
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Season the venison loin with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a pan over high heat and sear the venison for 1-2 minutes on each side, until browned.
Remove from heat and brush the venison with Dijon mustard. Set aside to cool.
Make the mushroom duxelles
Finely chop the mushrooms or pulse them in a food processor until they are minced.
In a frying pan, melt the butter and sauté the shallots and garlic for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid, and it evaporates, about 10 minutes.
Add the thyme and Madeira, cooking for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture is dry. Season with salt and pepper.
Set the mushroom mixture aside to cool.
Assemble the Wellington
Lay out a sheet of cling film on a clean surface.
Lay the prosciutto slices, slightly overlapping, on the plastic wrap.
Spread the mushroom duxelles evenly over the prosciutto.
Place the venison loin in the centre and carefully roll the prosciutto and mushrooms around the venison using the plastic wrap, forming a tight cylinder. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to set the shape.
Wrap in puff pastry
Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to about 3mm thickness.
Remove the venison from the plastic wrap and place it on the pastry.
Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg.
Fold the pastry over the venison, sealing the edges and trimming any excess.
Place the wrapped venison seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the entire Wellington with egg wash and, if desired, score the top with a sharp knife for decoration.
Bake
Bake the Wellington in the preheated oven for 20-25, minutes with the vent open until the pastry is golden and crisp, and the internal temperature of the venison reaches 130°F (54°C) for medium-rare.
Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve
Slice the venison Wellington into thick rounds and garnish with fresh rosemary or thyme.
Serve with your choice of sides such as roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, or a rich red wine or a mushroom sauce.
