Arroz caldoso de langosta

Serves 4

This dish is a jewel in Spanish cuisine. For many it is the king of all rice dishes and you can understand why. Although soupy rice dishes may be perceived as more warming than a classic paella, and therefore something we would have over winter, the reality is that this dish is so popular that you will find it all across Spain, at any time of year, at all sorts of restaurants. This is the dish I chose to celebrate the birth of my first son.

Prep 20 minutes, Cook 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2.5 litres (10 cups) shellfish stock

• 0.4g sa ron

• 150ml (generous 2/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil

• 2 dried ñora peppers

• 2 lobsters, heads halved, claws separated, tails cut into 2cm (1in) pieces

• 1 dried cayenne chilli pepper

• 2 small tomatoes

• 500g (1lb 2oz) squid, cleaned and roughly chopped

• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika

• 300g (1½ cups) Spanish paella rice

• Salt, to taste

1 Heat the shellfish stock in a saucepan over a low heat and crumble in the sa ron. Keep warm over the lowest setting.

2 Place a paella pan over a low heat and add the olive oil, the ñora peppers and the lobster. Fry for 2 minutes, then remove the lobster from the pan and set aside. Transfer the ñora pepper to a blender with the cayenne chilli and tomatoes and blitz to a paste; set aside.

3 Increase the heat to high and add the squid to the pan. Sauté for about 7 minutes, or until golden in colour. Season with salt.

4 Add the garlic, closely followed by the paprika and the tomato and ñora pepper paste, and cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the tomato paste. Add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes, making sure all the rice gets coated with the oil.

5 Carefully add the hot stock to the pan and give it a good stir to distribute the rice evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cook over a high heat for the first 8 minutes, then add the lobster, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Serves 4

It is rare to see a paella cooked with salmon but as it’s such a popular fish in our home, I decided to try a paella with salmon and cauliflower – it was sensational. What I will point out is that salmon can easily be overcooked and consequently dries out quickly, so follow my timings carefully.

Prep 20 minutes, Cook 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 litres (8 cups) fish stock

• 0.4g sa ron

• 120ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil

• 2 salmon fillets, cut into large pieces

• 300g (10oz) cauliflower, broken into florets, core finely chopped

• 2 dried ñora peppers

• 2 tomatoes

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

• 440g (2¼ cups) Spanish paella rice

• 1 sprig of rosemary

• Salt, to taste

Makes about 4.5 litres

INGREDIENTS

• 2kg (4lb 8oz) fresh fish bones

• 1 carrot, thickly sliced

• 2 onions, roughly chopped

• 5 celery sticks, roughly sliced

• 2 leeks, sliced

• 1 fennel bulb, thickly sliced

• 175ml (¾ cup) white wine

• 10 white peppercorns

• 1 clove

• 4 bay leaves

• 5 sprigs of tarragon

• 5 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 5 litres (20 cups) water

METHOD

1 Heat the fish stock in a saucepan over a low heat and crumble in the sa ron. Keep warm over the lowest setting.

2 Heat half the olive oil in a paella pan over a medium heat, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and shallow-fry for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan.

3 Add the remaining oil to the pan, then fry the cauliflower florets and ñora peppers over a low heat for 2 minutes. Remove the peppers and blend to a paste with the tomatoes using a blender or food processor; set aside for later. Sauté the cauliflower florets for a few minutes more, then season with salt, remove from the pan and set aside.

4 Add the chopped cauliflower core to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes before adding the garlic, paprika and the tomato and pepper paste. Cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts to separate. Add the rice and stir, making sure all the rice is coated with the oil.

5 Add the hot stock to the pan and give it a good stir to distribute the rice evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cook over a high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes, without stirring. Place the reserved salmon (skin side up), cauliflower florets and the rosemary on top of the rice and cook for a final 4 minutes. Let it rest o the heat for 5 minutes before serving.

1 First and foremost, make sure your fish bones are as clean as they can be. Rinse them under cold running water to make sure there is no blood and to double-check they have been properly gutted by your fishmonger. Add the fish bones to a stockpot, then add all the remaining ingredients. Place over a high heat and let it come to the boil. Skim the froth from the surface with a ladle, then reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes, without stirring.

2 Let it cool o the heat for 30 minutes before straining through a fine sieve into a clean container. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The accessible yet exciting menu, created by Owner Chef Director Oliver Marlowe and Head Chef David Halewood, spotlights modern British food made using the highest quality ingredients, sourced locally where possible. Daily changing menus are dependent on the best produce available, expect menus featuring tempting choices such as scallop, crab and basil raviolo with lobster bisque and leek fondue; tagliatelle of morels, asparagus and wild garlic with shallot cream and brioche crumb; and chicken schnitzel with creamed potato, sauce Diana, tobacco onions and fried duck egg. There’s also an extensive and exciting bar snack menu – think hearty Scotch eggs and ‘nduja arancini with sa ron aioli.

Come the weekend, it’s all about brunch and Sunday lunch. Kick back and savour classics like Eggs Florentine, Benedict or Royale; or smoked salmon with creamy scrambled eggs on crunchy sourdough. Choose your Bloody Mary from the six-strong ‘Bloody Good Bloodies’ range, including a showstopping ‘The Hunter’s Moon Bloody Susan’ for up to six to share.