Interview, Sustainability

What’s on the menu with our Head Chef

18th November 2022

We sit down with Head Chef Alan Gleeson to discuss the inspiration behind our menu and his must-try dish.

Describe the ethos of the menu.

The Fox celebrates a modern British menu – pub classics alongside wood-fired pizzas, all made with ingredients from our sister farms at Daylesford Organic and Wootton.

The Fox menu has a modern approach to pub food. Our starting point is always researching far and wide from pizzerias, burger shacks and classic pub fayre to Michelin star restaurants.

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How did you pick your suppliers?

Ingredients are sourced based on quality and flavour, and our chefs choose suppliers that can demonstrate the highest welfare standards with the lowest environmental impact.

We always begin with our sister farms at Daylesford Organic, a mile down the road from The Fox, and Wootton in Staffordshire. The quality of the produce is exceptional.

We prioritise finding the best organic ingredients from local growers and are proud to source the best quality ingredients from local suppliers, half of whom are within 15 miles of The Fox. We source fish responsibly from day boats who cause minimal impact on our seas. We refer to resources such as the Cornwall Good Sea Food Guide, so our buying decisions are informed by what is seasonal and sustainable.

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What are you particularly proud of?

How well the team has worked together to deliver such an amazing whirlwind opening over the past 5 months.

Signature dish?

We have a little flatbread with whipped smoked lardo, cured pork belly and anchovies, which I love.

If you were to recommend a three-course meal at The Fox, what would you pick and why?

I would choose the market garden heritage beetroots, goat’s curd and hazelnut salad, followed by a whole roasted Yorkshire grouse with bread sauce, game chips and watercress, or the Wootton estate venison Barnsley chop with pickled red cabbage and celeriac purée. To finish our warm plum frangipane tart, stuffed with damsons from the orchard at Daylesford Organic, and a dollop of crème fraîche.

How do you cater for dietary requirements?

We have a varied menu with many dishes that can be adapted for those suffering from intolerances or allergies. Our team can advise on all allergens within dishes and we have an allergen matrix available to our guests.

Talk us through your Sunday Roast.

The Sunday roasts at The Fox are a feast. We serve pork belly slow cooked overnight; organic sirloin of Aberdeen Angus beef from our herds at Wootton: Yorkshire puddings the size of your head and a generous selection of whatever is at its prime in the market garden at Daylesford Organic; cavolo nero and Tenderstem broccoli, roasted beetroots and crispy roast potatoes cooked in beef dripping, garlic and thyme. We also serve sharing platters for the table of whole roast organic chickens, with chipolatas, bread sauce and a roast gravy.

I always have a good pork pie and English mustard at home. I love to make sourdough pizzas with my son Adam or barbecue Barnsley chops from the Wootton estate with a buttermilk dressing, grilled baby gem, peas, dill and mint from the market garden. I also love a hearty roast to come back to after rugby training on a Sunday morning.

I always have a good pork pie and English mustard at home. I love to make sourdough pizzas with my son Adam or barbecue Barnsley chops from the Wootton estate with a buttermilk dressing, grilled baby gem, peas, dill and mint from the market garden. I also love a hearty roast to come back to after rugby training on a Sunday morning.

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