We are delighted to share with you one of Aaron’s signature dishes as inspiration for your home cooking this Easter.

LOIN OF LAMB, LAMB BELLY AND PEPPER STEW

For the slow-cooked lamb belly you will need:

1 lamb belly

Rock salt

Black peppercorns

Rosemary

200ml olive oil

Clove of garlic

Method:

Chop the lamb belly in half width ways, sprinkle with rock salt, whole peppercorns and leave in the fridge for 1 hour. Wash off the lamb belly, put one half on top of the other, place in a vac pac bag, add 1 clove of garlic,1 sprig of rosemary, 200g olive oil and fully vac pac the bag. Cook for 12 hours at 85 degrees Celsius in a water bath until soft. Remove from bag and press bellies between 2 flat heavy trays with greaseproof to prevent sticking, place in the fridge overnight or when set minimum of 2 hours. Slice into rectangles 3cm by 7cm, sear the top until coloured and finish in an oven 160 degrees Celsius until piping hot in the middle. If you don’t own a water bath or sous vide, use this method: How to Sous Vide Without the Machine

For the lamb sauce

1. What is new on your list and why were these wines chosen?

Most new wines on our list are favourites that we have been tasting lately they are often wines which will be listed on our first page “wines of the moment” they reflect a varieties of grapes and taste from different countries and represent good value.

Wines which are removed from our list are wines which we cannot buy anymore because of vintage changes and didn’t get our appreciation and liking.

In the case of very fine wines running out of a specific vintage might be very difficult to rebuy with a considerable increase in price range therefore we might look for this wine in a different often younger version.

2. What have guests been buying more of recently?

We have seen a trend for buying white burgundies such as Chassagne and Puligny 1 er Cru from top growers and also Chablis grand cru. Top Bordeaux grand cru wines have also been very popular. Immediately after the lockdown lifted guests were definitely catching up with the lost time but now everyone has calmed back to usual standards and are enjoying a wide range.

3. What wines will you

The annual Hambleton Hall October Mushroom Hunt went ahead on Saturday 10 October. As outdoor events remain possible, this was a well-attended occasion, and local Food and Drink Writer, Debs Pennell, was lucky enough to take part.

This popular event was led by expert mycologist Paul Nichol and Tim Hart owner of Hambleton Hall Hotel. Foragers were treated to a morning of hunting for mushrooms in local woods followed by an exceptional mushroom-inspired three-course lunch at the hotel.

Having collected a veritable array of fungi, guests assembled in the woods for discussion and identification. Paul Nichol’s informative and eloquent description of each mushroom and Tim Hart’s witty interjections were interesting and amusing. The morning’s foraging resulted in the group collecting a goodly number of edible fungi, but with one deadly poisonous variety amongst them, and several rather toxic individual species. Mushroom foraging remains a risky business, with around 50 poisonous mushroom varieties in this country, 15 of those being deadly!

After a morning in the woods, everyone was ready to enjoy Head Chef, Aaron Patterson’s Fungi Foray lunch, which was an enviable compilation of exquisite flavours, textures and autumn colours: Cèpe Tortellino, Wild Mushroom Consommé flavoured with Tarragon, Roast Guinea

Hambleton Hall joined Relais & Chateaux four decades ago. This exclusive collection of 569 of the finest hotels and gourmet restaurants in 66 countries comprises of 29 luxury hotels and restaurants in the UK alone.

In 2019 we participated in R&C’s global communications campaign titled #DeliciousJourneys with a beautiful new video. To watch please visit www.youtube.com/hambletonhall

Filmed over two separate months in two video shoots with the talented film makers from The View South, Aaron and his team demonstrated how the menu at Hambleton is sourced locally from a plethora of high quality game, poultry, fish and meat suppliers alongside carefully foraged ingredients such as mushrooms, herbs, edible flowers, sea vegetables and wild garlic.

Very few ingredients travel more than 20 miles, and these are typically specialist shellfish products from the south coast or Scotland or meat products from France.

The #DeliciousJourneys campaign is designed to shine a light on what makes each hotel completely unique. If you search #DeliciousJourneys in your browser you will find many inspiring examples from around the world.

At Hambleton Hall, the unique flavours of the English countryside are what inform the delicious menu, hand-crafted by the expert hands of chef Aaron and his team.