P
L E N T Y
Black British Garlic
Made
in
Dorset
costs from £3.50 a bulb from www.southwestgarlicfarm.co.uk
or find it in local farm shops and delis.
As well
Garlic farmer
M ark
al so ad vo cate
s ea
bl ac k cloves lik tin g the
e sw eets . No
cold s in hi s fa
m ily for ye ar s!
as
potent ia l he
alth
benefits, ther
e
no problem s ar e
w
ga rl ic br eath ith
w
its black as th hen
e
mor e pu ngen
t
flavou rs ar en
’t
ther e.
Black Garlic
ic owes
Black garllong, slow
a
its flavour to
er a month
ca ramelisat ion ov
tur ns
temperat ures that
at low
ck and ma kes it
the cloves bla
s it lasts for
taste like that. Plu
months.
12
’
Say it loud, it’s black
British garlic and
re
we’ proud!
W
e food lovers know not to judge a veg
by its looks. But even so, how can
something that looks like, well, that, taste like this?
Squeeze the shockingly black clove from it’s unassuming papery jacket and bravely pop it, uncooked,
into your mouth and things get complicated.
The flavours are deep and layered and have food
writers reaching for their thesaurus. There’s some
sweetness, some bitterness, caramelised notes and
unami tones. Add in tamarind, chocolate, smoke
and balsamic vinegar and the only thing that’s really
clear is that black garlic has that undefinable je ne
sais quoi of the more unique artisan ingredients.
Think truffles and caviar. If there’s transformative
taste going on in your mouth, it’s only as strange
as the alchemy going on at Mark Botwright’s farm
near Bridport. Started with a handful of bulbs 17
years ago, the South West Garlic Farm now grows
700,000 of them a year. Some of which get the
honour of turning black in a process Nick developed
from a 4000 year old Korean recipe. The results
taste as spectacular as they look. No wonder culinary luminaries from Nigella to Ottolenghi to Mark
Hix (see right) go crazy for this monochrome mystery and many of the UK’s best restaurants have it
on repeat order. It means Mark and his wife Wendy
are constant targets for national TV and press when
we want to claim them for our own, made in Dorset
and proud.
ca n be used in
soups,
sauc es, cr ushe
d into
m ayon na ise or
simply tossed
into
a vegetable dish
or
rubb ed on ch ic
ken
sk in or belly po
rk
fat.
Recipe
Roasted Cauliflower with Black Garlic
b y Ma rk Hix
Ingredients
1 Head of cauliflower, cut into large florets and saving the outer green leaves
and stems.
2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil
60 g butter
1 bulb of black