“ In tasting the Camembert, you can almost immediately imagine what it would be like with the raw components on a plate,” he says. “The Camembert is a good quality product. It has a nice mild flavour. The longer you keep it, the stronger the flavour gets. It’s versatile and appealing. I don’t know anyone that would try that cheese and say they don’t like it. It’s like the pinot grigio of cheese.” So, for Fallowfield’s dishes he wanted to bring a bit of the unexpected. “Camembert is a naturally great winter cheese. It’s about the melt.”
His take on a Tartiflette highlights just that.
CULINARY DISCOVERIES AT HOUSEL BAY HOTEL With Joseph Fallowfield
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He explains: “What we try to do it to follow the season very specifically as they are. So, any ingredients that are available for those six weeks we will absolutely use. For example, Savoy Cabbage has a very short season. Anything that is hyper seasonal that we can celebrate during that time period, alongside our location, we will feature on our menu.”
Joseph Fallowfield admits that it wasn’t until he took the head chef position at Fallowfields in the Housel Bay hotel in Cornwall that he grew a real appreciation for cheese. “It was when I was thrown into that decision making process that I started taking cheese selection seriously.” Fallowfields offers a fixed tasting menu that includes a cheese course. And whilst the menu changes every six weeks, Fallowfield sticks to a general method when selecting the cheeses. One is a blue cheese, sourced locally with strong flavour, a second is a soft white cheese, such as Cricket St Thomas Brie or Capricorn Goats Cheese and the third is a hard or semi-hard cheese. Six years on from taking the role, Fallowfield takes great pride in his selections for the cheese course. When working with Cricket St Thomas Camembert it was clear what he wanted to make.
“ The camembert is a good
For Fallowfield it’s about giving his diners an experience to remember.
quality product... It’s like
When he was 15, Fallowfield started on his culinary journey and fell in love with the community feeling a kitchen offers—not necessarily the art of cooking. It wasn’t until his trip to France where he did a week work placement at a Michelin star restaurant that changed his view on food. “That experience really opened my eyes to how good food can be,” he says. “And that’s when I started taking being a chef more seriously.” And as far as any advice for those looking to make a career as her chef, Fallowfield says: “Taste as much as you possibly can.” That of course, includes cheese.
the pinot grigio of cheese.’’
Winter is Fallowfield’s favourite season. He cites root vegetables like squash, pumpkin, potatoes and celeriac as some of his go-to ingredients. Seasonality is central to the restaurant’s tasting menu. “We keep that very restrictive,” says Fallowfield. “You can have it or not have it. It’s the one single menu. We don’t have options on that.”
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