Inspiration in a Dorset store cupboard
Gustosecco dried its first slice of Dorset apple in 2004 in Sherwood Cottage the house that’s been Richard’s family home since 1960.
Richard recalls moving in with several dozen Kilner jars full of blackcurrants, redcurrant and plums from the garden they’d left behind when moving to Dorset in 1959; fruits in syrup which lasted for another two years carefully rationed and thoroughly enjoyed.
The Sherwood Cottage store cupboard was always magnificently well stocked.
Tinned pears were lined up with jam, evaporated milk, ham, salmon, Shipphams
pastes and Marmite. Every January saw marmalade-making and every Autumn
frenetic transformation of gluts into jams, chutnies and cheeses or jellies
dripping into a bowl through a muslin net suspended from the legs of an
upturned chair.
The selection also featured Surprise peas and Smash mashed potato – dehydrated vegetables that no modern home could be without. The very height of store-cupboard gourmet fascination was the Vesta meal – a feast from a box made by just adding water (and limited cooking). Chow Mien was our special favourite closely followed by Prawn Curry.
Tins, jars and packets came into their own during the Winter of 1962/3 when the village was cut off from road traffic for six weeks. How we loved it.
Decline set in during the 70’s with the arrival of the freezer. Feeding this domestic god needed a little blanching perhaps and some labelling but shut away behind an icy door the contents could never have the glamour that radiated from a store cupboard full of authentic preserves.
The return to Dorset and discovery of the "instant" risotto
I
n 2004 Richard left London, moved back to Dorset and bought his first
dryer. Into it went apple slices that Richard tested on his friends and
took to market. Neither friends nor market took to the apple slices. Dorset
apparently wanted its apples fresh – whatever the time of year.
Undaunted Richard went on to experiment with drying bananas (less authentic-looking than commercial produce), cherries (hours of stoning), blackberries (leathery) and elderberries (fiddly). It was the store cupboard which pointed the way forward. There Richard found a memento of recent travels to Italy – an ‘instant’ risotto with dried vegetables.
So the Gustosecco risotto was born. Recalling journeys around North Italy eating risotto made from nettles Richard saw the weeds in the garden hedge with new eyes. A lot of labour is involved but gathering leaves in unsprayed fields, hedges and woodlands in the fresh air is a constant pleasure.
Gourmet foods and ingredients based on naturally-preserved produce
Investigating Italian cookbooks Richard explored the risotto-making tradition
and
immersed himself in recipes both old and contemporary. A browse through
his shelf of tattered travel guides revealed scribbled notes cataloguing
meals eaten at fine restaurants and rustic trattorie that also provided
authentic inspiration. Using produce gathered locally and dried at his Dorset
home Richard created a range of risotti that were enthusiastically received
at markets and food fairs by the friendly and foodie people of West Dorset.
As the range of risotti expanded to include Italian dried produce Richard’s store cupboard started to accommodate a growing range of dried ingredients including exotic herbs and spices. The next step was to open old travel guides from further afield: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey and to consult recipe books from around the Mediterranean and Persia. Here Richard found ideas for produce based on different dried grains including couscous, basmati rice and bulghur wheat and from these he created new recipes for Gustosecco meals that gradually began to appear on the shelves of local shops as well as the market stall.
Turning back to childhood treats Richard next introduced his range of rice puddings and fruit compôtes which have become such a hallmark of the Gustosecco range. Gradually as demand increased Richard moved production from the dining room at Sherwood Cottage to the converted garage next to the house and most recently in late 2008 to a small facility (known as the Gustodome) within a factory-on-a-farm near Cullompton in Devon. From here Richard has been able to make improvements to production, packaging and storage which mean that he can now return to his passion for travelling in search of authentic dried ingredients which will feature soon on the Gustosecco menu – in storecupboard near you.
Thanks
Gustosecco owes a great debt to the people of West Dorset especially the market-shoppers of Bridport whose tastebuds and opinions helped develop and improve the range. The enthusiasm of local farm-shop and delicatessen owners transformed Gustosecco’s prospects and resulted in its transformation from tiny enterprise to a growing business.
Pictures by Katia Marsh (© Katia Marsh Photography) show Richard gathering wild produce for risottos during April 2007. For more information on Katia and her photography visit her website: www.katiamarshphotography.co.uk
