Jack and his team have created wonderful recipes using beautiful local produce.

Lunch Menu

Dinner Menu

Photograph © and courtesy of our local partners at Exmoor Photography

I accepted the keys this morning (9th May) from a very patient owner (thanks again Dean) who has lived each step of the negotiations with us. The builders are now in and the Restaurant formerly trading as Jaws will be transformed over the next 8 weeks into a local Restaurant that will celebrate the very best seafood available in the South West.

We will of course continue to work with Jacqui of El Pescadero, who consistently purchases wonderful fish for us from Brixham market. We are also planning to work with lovely local crab from lynmouth and are hoping to agree to purchase some produce from the boats at Minehead and Watchet from time to time.

Pips Fish, Minehead will feature a takeaway at the front of the building with simple, local dishes to takeaway or enjoy on the 40 seats we will have outside. Behind the kitchen area, we are building a licensed Restaurant area with a further 40 seats that will focus on beautiful fish that can be enjoyed battered in Exmoor Ale Batter or grilled and served with seasonal sides. Starters will be simple but beautiful, including fresh Taramasalata, shell on shrimps, rock oysters and more.

We will also continue to work with Simon and Tracey David of the Big Red Cow Farm, and the menu will include a lovely Devon Red burger (one of our favourites at The Culbone).

I will be keeping you up to date via Twitter, Facebook and the 2 websites (look out for the new Pips Fish Website coming soon) of our progress. Please let me know if you have any ideas about our new business.

We believe in supporting our local community and will be donating 10p from every local fish order to the Minehead RNLI station, just around the corner. We hope you will join us in supporting this incredible service.

I look forward to seeing you at Pips Fish, 35 The Ave  Minehead, TA24 5AY 01643 708353

Best
Mark

Serves 2

You will need 2 x 200g monkfish fillet skinned and trimmed of sinus

200g podded broad beans

200g samphire

2 slices of Serrano ham (thin as poss)

100g fresh samphire

400g washed jersey royals

100ml dry white wine

100g butter

Salt n pepper to taste

1 table spoon chopped fresh mint

1 table spoon olive oil

1 lemon

Method

Cook your Jersey royals in a pan of boiling salted water until cooked through. Season fish with salt and pepper, heat olive oil in non stick pan add fish,seal all the juices into the fish and add colour for flavour ,this will take 2 minutes . roast fish in hot oven for 5/6 depending on the thickness , wrap serrano ham around fish once cooked and rest for 2/3 minutes the ham will start to melt and season fish.

Heat butter in a pan and add samphire ,broad beans and white wine cook for 1 minute until alcohol is cooked out,add cooked jersey royals to warm through . Finish with chopped mint and a squeeze of fresh lemon , serve straight away.

she was born in Bath s Royal United Hospital at 5.39 am on Fri the 12^th of April ,both mother and child are doing well and I’m loving being a father .

Its great to be back in the kitchen really missed cooking whilst I was on baby watch. Our Brixham Day Boat Special Fridays are proving to be a great success and with the warmer weather approaching (we hope ) it will will only get better  . I expect to be using fantastic Lynmouth crab and lobster next week and lovely Porlock Samphire just coming into season , stunning mackerel being landed at brixham and the first jersey royals being picked simply delish!

Our first Moroccan night  was fantastic , slow cooked lamb shoulder with apricots, almonds tomatoes and cinnamon a favourite of the night ,also Devon red sirloin with harissa butter and mini Marrakesh lamb burgers.

Next week we have the return of our most popular special night – Fruits of the Sea. Perfect timing for me to try some of the dishes that will appear on our new Minehead Fish Restaurants menu. Pips Fish started building works today and will be open early in July.

You wait 9 months, the 2 babies come along at once. Typical.

See you there.

6 days overdue and even a hot curry last night did not encourage my child to make an appearance, hopefully it will arrive soon!

We had a fantastic Easter at the Culbone, starting with Good Friday Brixham Day Boat Specials. Beautiful Brixham Bream baked in Sea Salt was one of the favourites plus my favourite roasted Ray Wing with Black Butter and Capers.

The remaining holiday period was very busy so big thank you to the whole team who worked extremely hard in my absence.

Spanish night will be on Tuesday 16 April with some classic Spanish dishes such as paella, gazpacho and some new favourites such as salt cod croquettes and roasted hake with clams, chorizo and sherry (see recipes of the week).

Our new venture Pips Fish is starting to take momentum, we are aiming to open in mid July. I am really looking forward to cooking some fantastic fresh seafood. Alongside some Pips favourites, Exmoor Ale battered Pollock fried in Devon Red Beef Dripping with home made tartar sauce, Grilled Bass fillets with chilli and rosemary, Brixham Plaice with Brown Shrimps and Parsley served with a choice of sides such as Beef Dripping Chips, Fresh Fennel Salad and Buttered Samphire. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Don’t forget our cookery school season kicks off in May with a celebration of Lynmouth Crab (some of the best I have ever tasted). Click on the cookery school link for dates and how to book.  Cookery School

Cheers. Jack

Ingredients

• 4 Hake Steaks
• 400gms Clams
• 400gms Cooking chorizo, sliced thinly
• 100gms Butter
• 2 tablespoons, chopped parsley
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 150ml Dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon, extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Fresh lemon

Method
Season Hake steaks with salt and pepper, heat large non stick frying pan and add olive oil.  Add steaks to the pan, cook for 3 minutes until golden brown, turn and add chorizo. Cook chorizo for a further 3 minutes and add clams, garlic, sherry, butter, chopped parsley and lemon juice.

Serving suggestion
Creamed celeriac or sauteed spinach.

Porlock Bay captured at the top of Porlock Hill

Spring has arrived on Exmoor to remind us how much we missed the  beautiful sunrises, sunsets and night time skies full of stars. As the Highest Restaurant on Exmoor, we are blessed with extraordinary views across this breathtaking landscape. The picture on the right was taken close to The Culbone by our friends at Exmoor Photography. Wish you were here?

To enjoy breathtaking scenery like this from our award winning Restaurant with rooms, we offer Dinner, with Bed and Breakfast from £75 per person per night (or less if you join our Members Club – Pips Club). We also have mid-week short break offers for our guests who would like to stay a little longer on Exmoor.

If you are looking for an escape as a group, we would be delighted to help make your experience more memorable by tailoring an Exmoor Cookery session for you, a Private Chefs Table or organise an Exmoor Safari with our friends from Experience Exmoor.

To enquire or book, please call 01643 862259 or

This month’s charity event at the Culbone is in support of the North Devon Hedgehog Rescue, which is family run and headed by Anni, a true inspiration to all.

We are hosting this 3 course dinner at The Culbone on Sunday 28^th April at 7pm, this will be a night of fantastic food produced by the Culbone team using local produce, a short presentation in relation to the work the charity does in the community and a charity raffle with some great prizes donated by local supporters.

Arrival: 6:30pm for 7pm

Ticket price: £30 per person

Please call the Culbone team on 01643 862259 to book your tickets.

Serves 4

1 kilo squid ink pasta – you can buy this from good delis and most supermarkets

600g clean and sliced baby squid

400g cleaned mussels

400g washed clams

300ml double cream

100ml white wine

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 red chilli chopped

1 table spoon chopped parley

Baby basil  2 table spoons

Method

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salty water (spaghetti will take approx 8 mins)

Heat up another pan with a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil and add garlic and chilli cook for 1 min on low heat. Next add the baby  squid,clams and mussels turn the heat up .Add the white wine and cook for 1 min until the alcohol has burnt off.to finish the dish add the double cream,chopped parsley, seasoning and the cooked pasta .

Serve in a big bowl in the middle of the table with a cool glass of Albirinio

This is one of my all-time favourites . I first saw this dish cooked by Rick Stein around 20 years ago ,it inspired me to cook fresh fish and has done ever since!

Serves 2

700g ray wing skinned cut into 2 pieces your fish monger will do this for you

(Also known as skate)

100g salted butter (must be salted)

50g capers rinsed of any salt

1 table spoon of chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

50ml red wine vinegar

1 lemon

olive oil for frying

Method

Heat a non stick frying pan on medium to hot heat, season fish with salt and pepper. Add oil to the pan, just enough to coat the bottom. Heat until lightly smoking, add fish thick side first (this will be the presentation side)fry until golden brown (do not shake pan or if stuck just leave it for a further minute)turn fish and fry again using same method. Transfer to an oven proof tray and roast for 4/5 minutes depending on the thickness.

How to check if your fish is cooked?  Take a small knife and drop through the thickest part of the fish .if the knife goes through the bone in the middle its cooked .

For the sauce heat butter in small pan on high heat until dark brown (not black) add vinegar, capers and chopped parsley .

Pour sauce over fish and enjoy!

I  like to serve serve this with mash and sautéed spinach