Seasonal Berries with Biscuit Crumb, Toasted Hazelnuts and Clotted Cream.

On a trip to mid Wales I was lucky to find a mass of bilberries growing wild. 

They have many names around the UK including blaeberry in Scotland, whortleberry in southern England and w(h)imberry in south Wales and the borders.
Along with these I collected some blackberries and elderberries in Dorset and added some bought strawberries and raspberries though foraged wild strawberries would have been better.

Place a glass of red wine in a saucepan and add half of the blackberries and elderberries reserving the best fruit. Bring to the boil and simmer until the fruit releases its juices and collapses.
Sieve off the liquid into a saucepan pushing through some of the fruit pulp, add a couple of tea spoons of caster sugar and boil to dissolve.
When this syrup has cooled slightly pour over the rest of the blackberries, elderberries and the bilberries to par cook and leave to cool.
When cool add the raspberries.
In another saucepan push the rest of the fruit through the sieve with the back of a wooden spoon until you have collect all the fruit pulp.
Add more caster sugar to taste and bring to the boil and reduce.
Hull and chop the strawberries and macerate in a little lemon juice with some more caster sugar.
Add to the other berries in the fruit juice.
Dry toast the hazelnuts in a pan - remove the papery skins and place in a mortar and pestle and break up.
Mix the nuts with some broken up digestive biscuits.
Add a dollop of the reduced fruit pulp to a plate and with the back of a spoon swoop across the plate.
Add a dollop of clotted cream and scatter with the nut and biscuit mix.
Spoon on the mixed berries and serve.

Whole Poached Salmon

First make a court bouillon.
In a large saucepan of water (enough to cover the salmon when it in a fish kettle) add a few bay leaves, a glass of white wine, a handful of peppercorns, chopped spring onions, fennel trimmings and some chopped dill.
Bring to the boil then leave to cool and infuse.
Place the salmon in a fish kettle and cover with the court bouillon, bring to the boil.
Turn of the heat and place the lid on the fish kettle and leave to poach.
The fish should be ready when the liquid is cold.
Remove from the kettle and serve.

Oyster Mushroom Sauted with Garlic and Tarragon.

A good find while out walking in Dorset and very fortunately had a fungus expert amongst the group as would not have trusted my own knowledge, though i did identify it as a oyster mushroom.

Slice the fungus into strips.
Melt some butter and oil in a hot pan.
Add finely sliced garlic and saute for a minute - don't let it burn!
Add the fungus and saute until it starts to release its juices.
Sprinkle with finely chopped tarragon.
When the fungus is cooked through serve on toast or with crusty bread.