May: Our recommendations on the menu this month

What we’ve been eating: Apple tarte tatin, Calvados flambé, vanilla ice cream

One of our all-time favourite desserts on the à la carte menu is a classic apple tarte tatin. To make it, we boil sugar and water until the sugar turns a dark brown, when butter is added to turn it into a caramel. We add slices of Braeburn apple to the caramel, cover it with a puff pastry base and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes before bringing it hot to the table.

We serve it with a scoop of our homemade vanilla ice-cream, Granny Smith apple compote and apple crisp, and flambé it tableside with Calvados for a bit of theatre.

We’ve also got a vegan version on our vegan tasting menu!

What we’ve been drinking: 2021 Domaine Gardies ‘On s’en Fish’, Côtes Catalanes, France

This Carignan and Cinsault blend pairs perfectly with fish dishes, displaying notes of strawberries and raspberries with a lovely smooth and delicate palate.

Located in Roussillon, Vingrau, Domaine Gardiès has been run as an organic farm since 2004 by Jean Gardiès and his son Victor.

Nestled in the foothills of the Corbières, the soil of the Domaine Gardiès vineyard combines the black schists of Espira-de-l'Agly and the scrubland's limestones. Swept by the Mediterranean winds, this complex terroir gives the wines power and typicity.