Gnashers for nosh (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Gnashers for nosh

5:00pm Wednesday 29th September 2010 in Food & Wine By Sally Clifford

It’s hard to imagine that this place was once a dentists’ surgery. The fact that you tuck in to the delicious offerings served here with your teeth is the only correlation between the past and present use of these stylish surroundings.

Clinical rooms associated with dental surgeries have been transformed into stylish and contemporary dining areas regularly used by diners frequenting Boutique 25, Skipton’s award-winning socialising venue.

Buildings often play on their past. Dating back to the 18th century, the property was used as a judge’s abode before the dentists moved in. Its latter use was discovered by Darren Dunn, who found remnants of dental chairs when he opened a seven-bed hotel here in 2007.

Last year Nosh, the restaurant he set up in 2004 with two business partners, re-located from Devonshire Place in Skipton, enabling them to expand and consolidate the business, creating a perfect lifestyle package for their many customers.

Boutique 25 is the umbrella brand for Nosh Brasserie@25, a 60-cover restaurant serving what Darren describes as an ‘eclectic’ menu with both a traditional and modern twist. Also on site is 25 Below, a cellar-based champagne and cocktail bar topped off with a stylish seven-bed hotel.

For Darren, running his own boutique hotel, restaurant and wine bar is an ambition achieved in a relatively short period of time.

He started out in the industry 15 years ago. His intention was to become an engineer after taking a degree in manufacturing and engineering. “But when I graduated it was in the last recession when manufacturing was killed off. There were 77 people on our course and about 20 got jobs. To this day most of them aren’t in it any more. They’ve had to get a job doing something else,” says Darren.

Bars and pubs provided an opportunity for Darren to pursue a different profession. He started out at the Black Horse in Skipton, where he has lived for the past 16 years. Swiftly he progressed through the ranks and was instrumental in developing it into a larger venue.

Being head-hunted to the Crescent in Ilkley gave Darren the opportunity to get into hotels. Two years later he moved on to Cutlers in Harrogate then to Cutlers restaurant in Burley-in-Wharfedale where he met one of his business partners.

Their decision ‘to do their own thing’ resulted in the launch of Nosh in 2004.

Darren says they have a loyal clientele, mainly local residents and businesses, although customers are known to travel from further afield – Darren’s mum regularly makes the journey from her home in Hull to dine out with her son!

A few famous faces have popped in too. According to Darren, former Coronation Street star, Liz Dawn, alias Vera Duckworth, has praised their sticky toffee pudding!

For Darren and his staff, preparing sumptuous food for their customers to savour is a labour of love. “It’s hard work but it’s really rewarding. You have to enjoy serving people, it’s very social. I don’t need to go out to enjoy myself because I enjoy myself at work,” smiles Darren.

Nosh’s Seafood Thermidor

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500g good quality fish of your choice (diced). We use haddock, smoked haddock, salmon, tiger prawns and Queenie Scallops but the choice is yours.

Quarter of a bottle of white wine.

Quarter pint of double cream.

200g grated Gruyere cheese.

2 sprigs fresh tarragon or two pinches or dried tarragon.

One small onion diced.

Knob of butter.

Splash of brandy.

Salt and pepper.

Method

Warm the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Place the butter in a heavy bottom pan and melt. Saute the onions and tarragon until soft and white wine and reduce by three quarters.

Add double cream and reduce by half. Add splash of brandy, all the diced fish and salt and pepper.

Add half the cheese and simmer for eight to 10 minutes.

Transfer to a suitable dish (we use scallop shells). Cover with the remaining cheese and bake for five minutes until the cheese is golden.

Serve with crusty bread.

Slow Roast Belly Pork (from Jackson’s of Cracoe) with bubble and squeak and pan juices

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the pork: Approximately 1kg belly pork.

1 clove of sliced garlic.

Half a bunch of chopped thyme.

Salt and pepper.

Olive oil.

For the Bubble and Squeak: 4 waxy potatoes.

1 head spring greens.

6 rashers dry cured smoked bacon.

Salt and pepper.

Butter.

For the pan juices: Half bottle of red wine.

Plain flour.

1 tablespoon of red currant jelly.

Method

Get your butcher to score the skin of the belly pork.

Rub the flesh of the pork with the garlic, thyme and salt and pepper and a little olive oil.

Then rub the skin with plenty of salt and pepper working it into the score marks. Leave to marinate for half an hour.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees celsius for approximately one hour until you have golden crackling.

Peel and boil your potatoes until soft, add salt and pepper and butter and mash. Chop spring greens and add to your potates.

Cook your bacon until crispy and slice finely. Add to your potatoes and greens. Place in an ovenproof bowl and place in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.

When your belly pork is cooked, remove from tray and cover with foil. Transfer the pork juices from the pan tray into a pan and add a little flour to make a loose paste.

Add your red currant jelly and half a bottle of red wine. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Slice your belly pork, remove your bubble and squeak from the oven and serve with your favourite vegetables.