Squirrel's a taste for autumn by the Cherwell

Carson is the head chef at the Cherwell Boathouse, off Bardwell Road, Oxford, which as regular customers are aware, follows the seasons faithfully. This idyllic riverside restaurant is also known for its creative and inventive cooking, which is why 31-year-old Carson spends a considerable amount of his spare time experimenting with new flavours and ingredients.

This autumn he is putting squirrel on the menu, which will be served in individual little pots that release the fragrant aroma of cherry wood smoke when you lift the lid. My immediate question, on hearing of his new creation, was: “What do your customers think of this dish?” His answer was positive. More than a third of his customers tried it when he placed it on the menu last weekend to test its popularity. What’s more, comments were very favourable.

Carson explained that dishes such as this, which were shunned at one time, are now becoming very popular, mainly because today’s chefs are prepared to put in the work and come up with creative ways of making them flavoursome.

During the Second World War, when the Ministry of Food validated this meat, and tried to promote it, the general public ignored this directive, even though squirrel meat is virtually fat free and very nutritious. It was thought of as a ‘tree rat’ and therefore something to be shunned.

Carson begins this dish by slowly smoking the meat over cherry wood chips for several hours, then fillets it and removes the bones. This proves a laborious task as the bones are numerous and small. Once the meat is released he seals it gently in hot oil, adding lemon thyme, and finely chopped root vegetables, then proceeds to create a rich port-based sauce in which it is then braised slowly. Chopped hazelnuts are also added to the pot to add a final flourish to the dish.

During a tasting session earlier in the year, several members of the Guild of Food Writers declared that squirrel had a lovely flavour suggestive of the nuts they nibbled. Carson followed this comment through by adding hazelnuts to enhance this flavour further. The result is a delicious and very nutritious meal fit for a king.

Carson said that one of the reasons he felt this dish would continue to be popular was that it was English and therefore part of our heritage. “When it was fashionable to put kangaroo, ostrich and even crocodile on the menu a few years ago, the general public were a little squeamish. These were considered exotic curiosities. I didn’t even try to create dishes for these meats as they were imported. Squirrel is quite different. Besides which, it doesn’t have a strong gamey flavour.”

Carson is one of many Oxfordshire top chefs who will be demonstrating his skills during the Foodies Festival this Bank Holiday weekend in South Park, Oxford. He says he will be discussing the merits of rare-breed pigs such as the Tamworth, which he also uses in his kitchen.

Tamworths hit the headline in 1998 when two boars escaped while being unloaded at a slaughterhouse, and evaded capture for several days. Their wily tricks to avoid capture attracted worldwide media attention and captured the hearts of the animal-loving British public.

Like all rare breeds, Tamworths are not intensively bred. They are now highly sought after by chefs such as Carson, who says that you really can taste the difference.

He will be demonstrating an apple-flavoured pork dish that also appears on the menu at the Cherwell Boathouse and discussing the many merits of serving seasonal local products where possible. Seasonal foods are something he feels strongly about, which is why his menu reflects the changing seasons and celebrates the fruits and vegetables each brings.

Demonstrating is something he enjoys, he says, as it gives him a chance to get out of the kitchen to meet members of the public.

He said: “Food festivals such as this are always good. Any event which will encourage members of the public to think seriously about the food they eat is a positive thing. Because this festival features local chefs and local produce I am very proud to be part of it.”

Other participating chefs include Paul Clerehugh from The Crooked Billet at Stoke Row, Ainsroy Bennett from the Randolph Hotel, Russell Heeley from the Malmaison and Michael North from The Nut Tree at Murcott. There will also be more than 100 exhibitors showcasing local, seasonal produce and speciality food and drink that members of the public can sample and buy. You will be able to see Carson in action at the Foodies Festival at 1pm on Monday in the demonstration tent. He says he will be delighted to talk to any readers of The Oxford Times.

I regret that my article last week about The Crown, in Church Enstone, gave the wrong telephone number for the pub. It should have been 01608 677262. My apologies to the licensees.