ASK Beales Hotels’ executive chef Wayne Turner what he is out to achieve with the food offer for his guests and the answer comes back immediately – local and fresh. To that end, he is firmly behind the group’s initiative in producing and making available on the website a brochure that lists postcodes of suppliers and organisations that are involved in the quest for quality produce grown in and around Hertfordshire – as well as the number of food miles.

For his beef recipe, as served at Beales’ West Lodge Park property, Wayne, who has been with the company for nearly eight years, therefore specifies meat from the Bridget B organisation of Sacombe Hill Farm – postcode SG14 3NL and 22.1 food miles from the hotel. The eventual aim is to increase the amount of locally-sourced food from Hertfordshire and a 50-mile radius to at least 10% of the annual total, and preferably much more.

Grilled Sacombe Hill fillet of beef

Ingredients

800g Bridget Borlase beef fillet >> 2 large baking potatoes >> 2 turmeric seeds >> 3-4 sticks salsify (plus 1 lemon to prevent oxidising) >> a small amount of butter >> 200g spinach >> 12 small shallots >> 80g sugar >> 200ml red wine >> 100ml veal stock

For the b�arnaise

60ml white wine vinegar >> a few sprigs of tarragon >> 250g clarified butter >> 2-3 egg yolks >> a splash of water to thin >> Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Method

Peel and halve the potates and then cut each into a cylinder shape about 3cm thick and hollow out the centre so once cooked the b�arnaise sauce can sit inside. Cover with water, add a pinch of salt and a couple of turmeric seeds and cook till tender.

Wash the salsify, peel and wash it again, then rub with lemon to stop it going brown. Cut to size and simmer in salted water until tender. Leave to cool, then saut� in butter until golden.

To make the b�arnaise sauce, whisk the vinegar and egg yolks over boiling water until they thicken to a sabayon (ribbon stage), taking care not to scramble. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the warm clarified butter. The two should come together like mayonnaise – if the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of hot water to thin.

Chop the tarragon and add to the sauce and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Set aside in a warm place but don’t let the sauce get too hot or cold or it could split.

Peel shallots and place in a small saucepan with sugar and wine, simmer until tender and the liquid has almost all evaporated to a syrup. Add veal stock and bring to the boil. Wash spinach, cook in a pan with butter and a couple of tbsps of water until it wilts, season to taste and serve. Cut the beef into four steaks and grill to your liking. Serves 4.

BOOK A TABLE

West Lodge Park, Ferny Hill, Cockfosters Road, Hadley Wood EN4 0PY 020 8216 3900 www.bealeshotels.co.uk