A born forager and chef
Let loose at 14 in the fields of Sussex, England Jonny found his first true forage: abundant wild sorrel. It later became a delicious soup which is still remembered by some.
I have always been fascinated by food and at 6 yrs was a constant visitor to the kitchen where I sat on the sideboard and watched the activities of our cook, Mrs. Weaver. She made pies and cakes and she disemboweled the chickens my mother bought at the farm.. I remember seeing the egg yolk without shell in the innards and was amazed! A few years on I started my cooking career and one of my first achievements was an excellent marmalade from the exotic Seville oranges of Spain.
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I read many cook-books but was especially inspired by Elizabeth David, who brought Mediterranean food to life with her vivid descriptions and recipes. I started to explore a different terrain: the markets and shops of Soho. This was a fruitful search and I bought home the ingredients for ratatouille, which were then unavailable elsewhere. The average greengrocer in England at that time stocked an uninspiring selection of potatoes, cabbage and cauliflower. It did improve somewhat in summer with local cucumbers and tomatoes and, of course, to coincide with Wimbledon Tennis very sweet strawberries.
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Reading a different book; the classic cookbook and memoir by Alice B Toklas I became intent on finding the essential ingredient for turtle soup. I headed off to that renowned luxury store Fortnum and Mason. They have a most impressive food hall and the staff ,at that time wore frockcoats and bow ties. I told my helper I was looking for turtle meat, dried. He said he'd have a look. After a long wait he returned, his coat and hat covered in dust. He explained that he'd been investigating the basement and had indeed found a whole dried turtle, which cost ten pounds sterling. To my lasting embarrassment I turned him down and never made that turtle soup.
But it was on trips to the Dingle that I really started to explore my foraging and culinary skills. The Dingle was our home in West Sussex, close to Chichester. My grandfather lived there. There was lots of fields and undergrowth around the house and I explored them all. In summer I picked blackberries, Then one year I was walking around and I thought I saw a herb mentioned in my cookbooks. I picked some and took it back to London to verify. The books said it was sorrel. The next time I was down there I picked enough to make a delicious soup. It was my first completely independent culinary work.
Culinary activities were soon replaced by academic ones whilst I finished school and was awarded a scholarship to Hertford College Oxford. Whilst at there during a summer break I took an ambitious trip east with my friends and discovered the food of Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. We taveled overland all the way to the Kyber pass
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Traipsing through the casbahs and street markets I enlarged my knowledge. Turkey was an amazing food experience. In Afghanistan it was fatty lamb and rice. Accompanied by tea. Endless tea..
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At 21 years with my degree secured I embarked on a wonderful journey to India that was an exploration of the smells, colors and flavors of that country. I remember taking a bus ride through Tamil Nadu in the South and the the waft of coconut oil from the hair of the Indian ladies in front of me was delightful. That same coconut was a principal ingredient of the cuisine. I embraced the spices of North and South India and utilize them in my cooking to this day. My most adventurous trip was to the far north of India. I traveled up into the Himalayas first by train, then bus, then on foot. The food was simple and sparse. I spent days living in small temples where we ate just once a day. At one there was so little money for food that I gave them a hundred rupee note to go buy milk.. They returned with milk and 90 rupees change! The extreme altitude and lack of food contributed to a higher path. I later came across a saddhu who was to introduce me to my guru and life-long spiritual path. The Himalayas remain my most cherished destination and completed my life.
Or at least helped!
England didn't seem very exciting after that.
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So I set out on a new adventure . To discover: America! I moved to Los Angeles in the 70's and whole new ranges of cuisines popped up. Salsa excited me with it's bold flavors. Eating Thai cuisine was a revelation and that first taste of Thom Ka kai remains indelibly in my memory. Its lemongrass lime leaf and coconut was a revelation.
I have cooked professionally in several restaurants in London and Los Angeles for a total of 20 years.
My foraging continues in markets, fields and seashores across California. I have a great respect for pigs and have been curing pork now for many years. Turning raw meat into crudo or ham has been a highlight of my charcuterie efforts.
My skills at curries are exceptional and I will teach you.
On this website I offer the culmination of years of practice and experience. You are in safe hands when you order my food or have your party catered.