Tomos Parry’s grilled mackerel with potatoes, and burnt cream with peaches

This time of year always feels like a turning point, especially in restaurants. It's lighter, the air feels different, the kitchen leans outwards again and the idea of cooking outdoors becomes appealing. These are the weeks where ingredients start to arrive with more abundance and variety from growers, suppliers and fishing boats. There’s a shift in rhythm, the pace of cooking moves away from slower, heavier food towards something more immediate, more responsive. It’s not a moment to dwell on or over-develop dishes, if we don’t move quickly, the produce passes and we miss the chance to enjoy it at its peak. It’s exhilarating for our chefs.

I think these dishes sit right in this space. They’remade around the first real flush of the season – the short window of jersey royal potatoes, and the return of beautiful mackerel, rich and oily in the best way. Early stone fruit has also started to come in – loquats, and the first apricots and peaches will soon be here and the incredible fragrance of these fruits cooking in wood ovens fills our kitchens and dining rooms.

These dishes reflect cooking with ingredients at their best – handled simply, cooked quickly and served without too much overthinking. I hope these recipes can be used flexibly, whether with different fruits, fish or potatoes as the season moves. The idea is to have a few base dishes that continue to evolve as spring and summer progress and produce changes week by week.

RECIPES

Food styling by Emma Cantlay; prop styling by Louie Waller