Robert May wouldn't cut it as a celebrity chef. His recipes are tortuous to follow, his ingredients are obscure, and he's never available for interview. Yet May is a role model for one of Britain's best-known heroes of the hob, multi-Michelin-starred Heston Blumenthal. May's
The Accomplisht Cook, published in 1660, is one of the sources that Blumenthal draws upon to re-create historic dishes. These will be featured at his latest venture, the Hind's Head Hotel, a 17th century public house with an oak-paneled dining room, 49 km west of London in the village of Bray. It's just next door to Blumenthal's flagship, the Fat Duck, where he uses his knowledge of space-age science to concoct ethereal feasts. He's peppering the Hind's Head's menu with dishes that reach back to the roots of British cuisine. It can be a challenge: May's measurements include "a small bigness" and "as much flour as will lie on a shilling." But when the finished product hits the table, the taste seems worth the centuries-long wait. The quaking pudding, a light, set-milk dessert, probably hasn't wobbled this deliciously since King Charles II beckoned Nell Gwynne to try a spoonful. The spring menu will feature a tangy lemon salad made from an antique variety of the fruit and a tart of bread—an ancestor of today's treacle tart. The panache with which the poster boy for futuristic food serves up these venerable dishes shows that while history repeats itself, Blumenthal sure doesn't.
www.thehindsheadhotel.com
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