Caroline Morrow brown talks to Clive Dixon about the inspiration for his cooking and favorite dish.
Merchants Restaurant and Bar is situated in the heart of Nottingham's recently rejuvenated Lace Market. But there is nothing frilly about the restaurant or its head chef, Clive Dixon. Born in Manchester 31 years ago, it is immediately obvious that Clive is determined, ambitious and very talented.
After training at Tameside College of Technology, working in the kitchen of the Michelin-starred Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham was his first big break. "The chef-patron, David Everitt-Matthias, was brilliant," says Clive. "He was, and still is, the biggest culinary influence in my life. His passion for cooking, his obsession with getting everything exactly right, and his willingness to explore new areas of cooking all rubbed off on me."
After Le Champignon Sauvage, Clive went on to work at the Cliveden hotel in Taplow, Berkshire, and The Mill and Old Swan in Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire. Then, aged just 25, he became head chef at Lords of the Manor just outside Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire. Within a year, it had been awarded a Michelin star.
With hindsight, Clive admits that he was not ready for the responsibility that came with this job. "I was not that good at organising or managing people then and easily lost my temper," says Clive. "After the Lords of the Manor, I calmed down and began to grow up."
Clive's culinary style is influenced by his love of rustic European cooking. He describes Pierre Koffmann's first book, Memories of Gascony, as the only book he would take to a desert island. "The more experienced I get, the simpler my cooking becomes," says Clive. "I know when to stop adding ingredients and complicating recipes. I think it's more of a challenge to get simple things right."
He particularly likes making ice cream (at Merchants, a sultana and calvados ice cream is served with French apple tart; a honey ice cream with poached pear), but beef is the ingredient that excites him most. "Beef is what I am passionate about," says Clive. "I've been up to Scotland with my butcher, Peter Allen, and met the breeders, feeders and finishers. I also talked to the farmers about the animals. I think it's essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the produce that you use. The best quality ingredients should be the basis for all serious cooking."
Beef recipes Clive has developed at Merchants include a version of steak tartare made with bavette of beef - a French cut from the flank or skirt which, says Clive, is just as tender and much tastier than fillet - served wrapped in bresaola; and chuck-eye of beef (a cut from the shoulder) served with blade mash (the potatoes are mixed with blade of beef).
After working in country restaurants, Clive felt ready for a stab at city-centre dining. "Nottingham is a really exciting place at the moment," he says. "The atmosphere is young and alive. This is the challenge I was looking for."
The Menu
- Foie gras mi-cuit, globe artichokes and toasted brioche, £10.50
- Ham hock, potato and parsley terrine, chutney and onion bread, £4.90
- Bavette of beef tartare, wrapped in bresaola, £5.50
- Breast of Barbary duck, fig tarte tatin, spiced port sauce, £15.90
- Baked cod with herb crust, parsley risotto and lobster sauce, £13.50
- Corn-fed chicken, roast chicken risotto, wild mushrooms, roast parsnips, £12.50
- Thin apple tart, caramel sauce, sultana and calvados ice cream, £6.90
- Crème br�lée infused with lemon grass and lime leaves, jus de fraises, £5.90
- Terrine of chocolate, orange sauce and sorbet, £4.90
The Dish
blade of aberdeenshire beef, creamed savot cabbage, crisp potato, foie gras sauce
Feather blade, a cut between the neck and fore rib, has a seam of gristle running through its centre, which gives this dish its unique texture and flavour. First the meat is slowly simmered in stock and the gristle dissolves into a delicious, gooey jelly-like bone marrow. Then the meat is cooled and cooked again. This second stage of cooking transforms the meat into a splendid pan-fried steak (normally this cut could only be served braised or boiled). The beef is served with a foie gras sauce, but red wine or mushrooms would work equally well.
contact info:
Merchants Restaurant and Bar, 29-31 High Pavement, The Lace Market, Nottingham. Tel 0115 958 9898.