Top chef launches innovative range of natural foods
Three novel natural food products from sea vegetables and wild herbs have been created by top chef Paul Cunningham under Mourne Larder, a new small enterprise he’s set up in Northern Ireland.
Cunningham, chef and joint owner of the award winning Brunel’s Restaurant in Newcastle, county Down, has just established the venture on the back of his experience of foraging the local coastline and the slopes of the Mourne Mountains for natural ingredients for his meals over many years.
The widely respected chef, owner of Brunel’s, for the past seven years has won acclaim for his creative dishes and has featured on BBC’s Great British Menu series.
The first natural products launched under the new Mourne Larder brand are: Dulse Salt; Smoked Heather; and Sea Truffle Salt. “The new products are designed to make it easier for home cooks in particular to incorporate into a wide range of meals,” he says.
He’s already selling them to other chefs and aiming to market them to delis and specialist food stores around the country. In the pipeline are infused vinegars, brines and rubs for meats.
Cunningham harvests the natural products, dries, processes and packages them by hand, giving him complete control over the entire process.
The talented chef has been using foraged ingredients in his dishes from his earliest days in the kitchen. He describes these as “the backbone of his cooking” at the 70-seat gourmet restaurant in the seaside town.
“Setting up my own small business with the natural products I’ve used in my dishes for years has been on my mind for quite a while,” Paul explains. “I am passionate about foraging for seaweed and wild herbs,” he continues. “I can usually be found exploring the coastline and fields around Dundrum and Newcastle for edible ingredients every weekend to enable me to create different and original flavours.”
Seaweed, he says, offers health benefits, great taste and is abundant along the coast. “Seaweed contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals and is a versatile and nutritious option,” he adds. “I was reared to respect the land and environment from my childhood days.”
He cherishes the memories, learning to respect nature, where to look for seasonal fruit and herbs and the best spots on his doorstep for “wonderful shellfish, sea vegetables and herbs”.
Cunningham describes his cooking style as being “local ingredient-led with very strong flavours”. “It’s all about flavours with me; there’s no point a dish looking great if it doesn’t taste good. Taste is easily the most important thing. This is one of the reasons why I opt for food from the area. I know I can count on it being both fresher, tastier and accessible.
“As a result, 80 percent of the ingredients in the vast majority of my dishes come from within 30 miles of the restaurant. This approach also allows me to get to know each producer and to work with them on providing the ingredients I need in the restaurant and whenever I require them,” he explains.
Paul Cunningham of Mourne Larder & the novel Mourne Larder products