The Hidden Hut: Irresistible Recipes from Cornwall’s Best-kept Secret

© Sally Mitchell

© Sally Mitchell

Today, the Hidden Hut has become a food destination in its own right. It’s been filmed for ITV and the BBC and has been featured in almost every major publication from Vogue and Bon Appétit to the Observer in its Top 40 Best Restaurants. It’s developed its own coastal community. If you’ve picked up this book, it’s likely you’ve already come across us and are part of the story. If you’re new to us, then welcome! We are lucky that those who have sought us out over the years have tended to share our values and appreciate the simple, windswept pleasures our hut offers. This book of recipes is our way of saying of thank you.

1 (#ulink_6993d0c6-e170-5570-a767-803b853f1a96)

Dawn (#ulink_6993d0c6-e170-5570-a767-803b853f1a96)

Cornwall enjoys the latest sunrise in the country. Dawn happens ‘dreckly’ here and that always feels quite appropriate.

For me, the ritual of cooking breakfast is about stopping and taking time, whether that’s for a family sit-down or some solitude with the morning papers. It’s not something most of us are able to do every day. It’s more of a weekend/day-off affair. This chapter is for those mornings. A collection of long, laid-back breakfasts and brunches. It’s all about picking great produce, putting on the coffee and getting into the holiday vibe.

DOUGHNUTS AT DAWN

Small, freshly cooked doughnuts are great with a coffee. The batter gives you 20–25 golf-ball-sized doughnuts, so they are perfect for sharing. They are moreish, though — so they won’t hang around for long. You could add some ground cinnamon to the sugar for dusting the doughnuts, if you liked.

Makes 20–25

1 vanilla pod

300ml whole milk, lukewarm (see Yeast Tip (#ulink_e3d3d022-92ff-5bc8-97f7-bb394539f126))

50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm

7g sachet active dried yeast

75g caster sugar, plus extra for coating

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

400g plain flour

1 tsp fine sea salt

sunflower oil, for deep-frying

Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds onto a plate. Pour the milk into a jug and add the butter, yeast, 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the vanilla seeds to create a vanilla-flavoured, yeasted milk. Stir well and leave for 5 minutes so that the yeast is activated. Beat in the eggs.

In a large mixing bowl, sift in 300g of the flour, the remaining sugar and the salt. Make a well in the centre and stir in the warm yeasted milk to create a lump-free batter. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or cling film and leave the batter to rise in a warm place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.

Fill a deep-fryer or a large heavy-based saucepan one-third full with oil and heat it to 170°C (test by frying a small cube of bread; it should brown in 40 seconds). Using two soup spoons, spoon the wet batter into balls and gently drop them into the oil. Cook for 3 minutes, watching carefully and rolling them in the oil so that they brown evenly all over. Cook the doughnuts in batches of 4–5 so that you don’t overfill the pan and cool the oil down too much.

Once they are done, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon. To check that they are ready, cut one in half to make sure the dough is cooked through and not wet in the middle. Drain on a kitchen paper-lined plate, then dust with sugar and eat while they are still warm.

Yeast tip

Make sure the milk is no hotter than lukewarm or it might kill the yeast.

SPICED FLASK OATS

There is something to be said for getting up in time to enjoy the sunrise. They are a magical few minutes of the day and totally worth getting out of bed for.

But you’re probably not quite ready for breakfast yet? Make yourself a warming flask of chai porridge and take it out with you. When you’re ready, crack open the lid and enjoy being greeted by the fragrant milky steam. It’s the perfect fuel for a coastal walk.

Serves 1

350ml whole milk

2 cloves

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

zest of 1 orange

1 tbsp caster sugar

50g rolled porridge oats

Pour the milk into a small heavy-based saucepan and add the spices, orange zest and sugar. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the spices in the milk to infuse for 10 minutes.

Strain to remove the whole spices. Return the pan to the hob, add the oats and simmer for 3–6 minutes, depending on the coarseness of the oats, stirring continously. Pour into a vacuum flask with a cup lid, grab a spoon and consume on a clifftop (or the train on your morning commute).

APRICOT, HONEY AND ROSEMARY MUFFINS

This recipe makes enough batter for 12 muffins. The batter freezes brilliantly, so you can enjoy freshly baked muffins for many mornings after you’ve made the mix. Just put the batter into the muffin cases and freeze them, then pull out as many as you need the night before to defrost and cook to enjoy them fresh in the morning.

When making the mix, keep the apricots and pecan nuts quite chunky to give the muffins some bite.

Makes 12

350g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

a large pinch of sea salt

2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves, plus 12 small rosemary sprigs

120g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

120g dried apricots, roughly chopped

2 large eggs

125g golden caster sugar