Sally & Jools Mitchison run the Pilgrims in Somerset, with a strong emphasis on locally sourced ingredients, home-made food ably prepared by Jools and a menu that changes according to the fresh ingredients that are available. More recent awards include: Dining Pub & Chef of the year 2004 – Somerset Life; Gold Award for Pubs in Somerset 2004 – Taste of the West; Dining Pub of Somerset – Good Pub Guide 2005.
Pilgrims Starter Recipe – Grilled Capricorn goat’s cheese with pesto and sunblush tomatoes
INGREDIENTS – PER PERSON
1 Capricorn goats cheese
A dribble of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons pesto sauce
4 or 5 pieces sunblush tomato
A small heap of mixed dressed salad leaves centred on a plate – keep the top fairly flat
METHOD
- Heat grill to as hot as it gets.
- Cut cheese horizontally into 2 disks.
- If necessary thin the pesto with a little olive oil so that it just flows from a spoon.
- With the cheese on a baking sheet, disks touching and cut side up, drizzle a little oil over them.
- Put under the grill, as close to the heat as possible, and watch closely – the idea is to toast the cheese golden on top before it melts in the middle – exact time depends on the age and temperature of the cheese.
- When toasted remove baking sheet from the grill and drop the pesto sauce onto the centre of each disk.
- Pile the tomato pieces on top of the pesto.
Lift the cheese with a fish slice and slide them onto the salad leaves (we use a palette knife as a “pusher”).
Enjoy.
