Elite Chef Recruitment

Platinum Recruitment – Feature of the Month Each month the team at Platinum will be bringing you an industry specific feature from many of the UK’s finest establishments. This Month’s festive feature: Matt Weedon – Lords of the Manor – 1 Michelin Star, 3 AA Rosettes, 4 Red Star. With sleigh bells ringing, the smell of Christmas in the air and the mulled wine ready to be poured, Platinum are proud to bring you our festive feature of the month. Especially for Platinum, Michelin starred chef Matt Weedon of the stunning Lords of the Manor has kindly put together a mouth watering Christmas dinner. Lords of the Manor is a converted 17th Century rectory, hidden away in a timeless corner of the Cotswolds. The 26 bedroom hotel stands within 8 acres of secluded gardens and parkland; at the helm of the kitchen you will find Matt Weedon who achieved a coveted Michelin star in only 11 months!! Why not take time this Christmas to sample this Stunning dish!! Happy Cooking!! For more information on Matt and Lords of the Manor check out the website www.lordsofthemanor.com POACHED AND ROASTED BREAST AND LEG OF TURKEY, SPROUTS, CRANBERRIES, CHESTNUT STUFFING, ROAST POTATOES, BREAD SAUCE AND TURKEY GRAVY To prepare the turkey Ask your butcher to remove the breasts and legs from a 2-3kg turkey, bone and roll the legs remove any sinew and chop up the bones and carcass. Cut the breasts down the middle lengthways and do the same with the legs. Lay two sheets of cling film down on top of each other and flatten well, lay one of the four breast pieces in the middle of the cling film and tightly roll the breast piece up, tie the ends tightly with string and repeat the process for the rest of the bird. You should have 4 breast pieces and 4 leg pieces. To make the sauce Roast the carcass and bones until golden brown with good colour and drain well. Set aside. Roughly chop and wash 1 large onion, 1 large carrot, ½ leek, 1 clove garlic, 2 sticks of celery and drain then caramelise well in a large saucepan using a little oil (100ml olive oil) until golden brown. Add a handful of thyme and deglaze with a splash of sherry vinegar. Add the roasted bones and carcass and half a bottle of dry white wine to the pan and bring to the boil then pour in 4 litres of good chicken stock add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil again then simmer for an hour or so tasting the sauce regularly to ensure you have the correct flavour. Pass the sauce into another large saucepan and reduce to a sauce consistency quickly. Pass through muslin and keep warm. For the cranberries Gently poach the cranberries in a splash of red wine, grenadine, sugar and lemon juice. Set aside somewhere warm.

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For the roasted potatoes Take 2 kg of maris piper potatoes, peel, wash and cut into 3 inch pieces. Put the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 mins and strain off and drain well. In a deep roasting tray heat 400g of duck fat and add the potatoes, season well and roast in the oven at 200c until crispy and golden brown. For the bread sauce Take 500ml of milk and bring to the boil with half an onion studded with 5 cloves all in the same pan and leave to infuse for a couple of hours. Take the onion and cloves out of the milk and return the pan of milk to the heat. Bring to the boil and stir in fresh breadcrumbs until thick but still at pouring consistency. Season and adjust the thickness with more milk if required. Set aside somewhere warm. For the chestnut stuffing Take 500g of sausage meat and mix in a bowl with 2 eggs, 100ml double cream, 1 handful of chopped thyme leaves, 200g of finely chopped cooked chestnuts, seasoning to taste and a handful of breadcrumbs. Roll into portion sized pieces (2inch ) wrap in smoked bacon and place on a baking tray and bake for 10 - 12 mins at 180c. keep warm. To cook the turkey Put a large pan of water on the stove ( big enough to fit all the turkey in ) and bring to the boil. Put the breast and leg pieces in, still tightly wrapped in cling film and turn the heat down to low- medium keeping the temperature at around 68-75c. Cook the turkey at this temp for 30 mins. To finish the turkey unwrap the cooked meat and in a pan of foaming butter, caramelise the skin of the breasts and leg pieces, add thyme and garlic to the pans and leave the meats to rest while you reheat all the other ingredients. To serve Heat all the other ingredients through while the turkey is resting in the foaming butter and arrange on hot plates. On a board, slice the turkey in 1cm slices allowing for a good few slices of breast and leg per person, lightly season the sliced meats and and arrange neatly along with the rest of the items. Serve the gravy and bread sauce in sauce jugs and enjoy!