Christmas and New Year at Samphire

Just a Quick Blog to let you all know whats going on with us around the festive period. Well as per image, we are off on our holidays! We are open through to and on Christmas Eve evening 7pm onwards, bookings only. From Christmas day through to January 19th we are closed, re-opening on Friday January 20th 2012 so send us an e-mail to book your table!

Thank you to everyone for all the support we have recieved this year, it has been amazing and greatly appreciated!

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year and we shall see you in 2012!!

The Samphire Team

xxx

Friday's Dish of The Day!

Todays Chefs Dish of the Day:

Pan-Fried Pheasant Breat with Confit Leg served on a Roasted Pumpkin and Spinach Risotto served with a Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce £14.95

Recommended with a Malbrontes Malbec Torrontes £20

This dish is running alongside all of our usual delicious dishes and other yummy specials like Grey Mullet, Runcton Ham Hock Bon Bons and Scallops.

Give us a call to book your table today!!

The Perfect Christmas Gift

Christmas time is fast approaching, we are taking the stress out of your dining so we thought we would help with the present buying as well!

Why not treat your loved ones to a Samphire English Kitchen Gift Voucher?

With Christmas only 11 weeks away, it's time to start planning your parties! Samphire is the perfect intimate venue for friends, family, work colleagues.....any occasion! We can cater for private functions up to 30 people or why not just bring in a few special guests. Our Christmas menu is full of delicious winter warmers....

• Game Terrine w/ Mulled Wine Poached Pear Salad and Toast
• Crab Cakes w/ Caviar and Dill Crème Fraiche and Rocket Salad
• Slipcote Goats Cheese Pannacotta w/ walnut and Poached Pear Salad

• Turkey Wrapped and rolled in Samphire Sausage Meat and Runton Smoked Bacon w/ Chestnut Puree, Smokey Brussel Sprout Skewers and All The Trimming
• Fish Stew w/ Roast Tomato, Scallop, King Prawn and Bream Fillet in a Crab Bisque Sauce
• Cauliflower, Parmesan and Truffle Oil Puree w/ Sauted Wild Mushrrom and Spinach w/ Cauliflower Gratin, Roasted New Potatoes and Oven Roasted Tomatoes
           

• Home Made Hot Mince Pies w/ Christmas Pudding Ice Cream and Mulled Wine Sauce
• Chocolate Pots w/ Clotted Cream and Kirsch Cherries
• Sussex Cheese Board w/ Miller Damson Biscuits.

Why not give us a call now for more information and let us take the stress out of your Festive celebrations!

Autumn Menu

Despite the recent blast of Summer weather, we are moving into Autumn! To keep up with the seasons, we have launched a new menu with a definite Autumnal feel to it. Come in and join us to enjoy some of our new flavours.....

• Pan-fried Chicken Livers with Wild Mushrooms, Spinach and a Garlic Cream Sauce
• Runcton Ham Hock and Trotter Terrine with William Pair and Red Onion Marmalade Salad
• Selsey Crab and Tiger Prawn risotto with Roast Peppers, Selsey Tomatoes and Basil

• Locally Shot rabbit and Wild Mushroom Suet Pie with Greens and Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps
• Fish Stew with Roast Tomato, Clams, King Prawn, Scallop, White Fish and New Potatoes
• Grilled Lamb Cutlets with Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder Hot Pot, Greens and Cauliflower Gratin...

..........Tempted? Book your table now! Or join us on Locals Night to sample some tasty delights, 2 courses for £10, 3 course for £13!

See you soon!!

Why not have a Fishy Friday?

Tonight is looking busy busy but we still have a couple of spots to fill if you fancy joining us! Tonights specials include:

Scallops with cauliflower and truffle oil puree, parmesan crisps and smoky bacon


Mackerel fillets with a tomato and bacon butter, served with Sussex Charmer new potatoes and spinach


Clam and Haddock chowder with a warm home baked loaf

........Tempted? Give us a call and secure a table!

The Good Food Guide 2012

Dave is off to buy his copy today!

We had our fingers crossed but still never expected the amazing news we received last week......Samphire has made it into The Good Food Guide 2012! Thank you every one for all of the support and votes, it really has meant a lot to Dave and the team! 

Hope to see you soon!!

Breadmaking Course

Dave's been down to Shipton Mill at Frampton  to learn some more about baking and using flour.

Fantastic day crammed full and left at the end with a tray of breads - from rye to pitta and everything in between, few sacks of flour,  and plenty of things to think about....

yummy ciabatta with olive oil and herbs

Really interesting tour round the mill (had to wear this stylish blue hat!) - amazing amount of machinery going 24 hours/day all to produce top quality flour of many varieties...

and brought home three different 'mothers' which all need feeding regularly and which make delicious, different breads...it's what sourdough is all about

hope you'll come and try them soon

Caught the fish and now cutting the veggies!

Can't get much fresher than this.

With the recent rain, everything is growing SO fast!  Down in the vegetable patch, the courgettes are harvested, collected by Dave and straight away cooked and plated up for the next meal.

You'd be forgiven for thinking it's the Mediterranean!

Have we ever mentioned that we like fresh, local food?  Well, this is how it's done.  Sometimes!

the slow drift aboard Samphire

When the weather's good (we'll leave it to the professionals if not!), take a boat, a group of friends and some fishing kit and have a go!  Or go with Adam from Something Fishy who regularly takes groups.

Best way for some sea air and a tan.  And a lot of fun too.

not much happening here!

Can you see the mackerel we caught?

Successful?  Think this says it all!

Come and enjoy the best of the locally caught fish and other produce in our English kitchen near the end of Shore Road in East Wittering.  Look out for the Samphire sign or phone for a reservation on 01243 672754...which is always a good idea as we're so small that tables get filled quickly!

Taste Magazine

Feeling chuffed as there's a full page in the latest Summer edition of Taste Magazine - all about samphire.  (See page 24)

They talk about the different dishes that we've put together for this month using samphire imaginatively from an accompaniment to fish dishes, in salads, pancakes and even Tony Wallace's specially made sausages.

Pick up a copy and follow us there - and even better come and visit and taste some fine English cooking using lots of local ingredients.

We'd love to see you but please book to avoid disappointment.

Mongol Rally

There's a crowd of people setting off on the Mongol Rally from Goodwood this morning so if time, going to pop up to see it all happening.

In East Wittering, lots of people around for summer holidays and the sun is beginning to shine although it's still a bit chilly in the water.

We've set up the tables outside and there's lots of lovely things on the menu so we'd like to see you down here.

Party time!

Special celebration?  Got an excuse?

Seems to be party time at present - had a couple of groups last week which worked really well.  We can cater for parties of between 25 and about 35 people

come and talk to us about the options: pick and choose lovely seasonal food and work out a menu and all the details

We'd love to help!

Monday evening - fish just caught!

Adam from Something Fishy in East Wittering, has just caught a lovely Ling fish (member of the cod family)so we've organised to have it on the menu today, Tuesday 28th June....

It's a popular fish and in Spain the smoked roe is a delicacy.

couldn't be much fresher than this!

Do you know what Samphire is?

Wikipedia says...Samphire is a name given to a number of very different edible plants that happen to grow in coastal areas.

Originally 'sampiere' a corruption of the French 'Saint Pierre' (St Peter), samphire was named for the patron saint of fishermen because all of the original plants with its name were grown in rocky salt-sprayed regions along the sea coast of northern Europe or in its coastal marsh areas.  It is sometimes called sea asparagus or sea pickle.

All the plants bearing the name are annuals that begin growing in late autumn and vegetate throughout the winter until the first warm weather arrives.  Then the first stems and internodes form, and by mid spring the plants measure 6 to 8 cm.

Marsh samphire ashes were used to make soap and glass (hence its other old English name, 'glasswort'.  In the 14th century glassmakers located their workshops near regions where this plant grew, since it was so closely linked to their trade.

Samphire of all kinds have long been eaten in England.  The leaves were gathered early in the year and pickled or eaten in salads with oil and vinegar.  it is mentioned by Shakespeare in King Lear.

Marsh samphire genus salicornia bigelovii is being investigated as a potential biodiesel source that can be grown in coastal areas where conventional crops cannot be grown.

Though there are two types of samphire - marsh and rock - only marsh samphire is widely available.  Marsh samphire has vibrant green stalks, similar to baby asparagus, with a distinctively crisp and salty taste.  It can be used raw in salad, though it tends to be very salty so it is more often boiled or steamed for a few minutes.  Occasionally you may also find jars of pickled samphire in gourmet shops.

Samphire is at its best in July and August.  Buy bright, fresh looking plants with no signs of wilting and wash thoroughly under cold running water before eating.  Buy samphire as you need it - it doesn't keep for long.  To cook, steam over a pan of boiling water for a couple of minutes and serve with melted butter.

We also read that it was rich in vitamins and was given in the past to sailors to protect against scurvy.  It also has excellent digestive and anti flatulence properties - thought you'd like to know this!

If you haven't yet tried it, why not take the opportunity now?

It's time for samphire!

Been a busy week - lots of people around for Blues on the Farm and now there's Goodwood Festival of Speed coming up in about a weeks time.

We've chosen our new summer menu and there's quite a bit of samphire on it - we've used it as a vegetable, in a salad, beurre blanc and also in a pancake and Wallace the butchers in East Wittering has also made samphire sausages specially for us.   At present it comes from France but we'll soon be able to buy English samphire.

It's also a beautiful time of the year for all the berries and Horrocks, the greengrocer, is full of local produce - so lots to choose from.  There will be quite a few specials on the board each day as well as our summer menu.

So why not come down and try it out?

Making bread this morning and checking out the fishmonger!

Every day, we make fresh bread for the restaurant.  Sometimes plain, sometimes with yummy herbs and seeds.  Today it'll be with sun dried tomatoes.  So this is how it goes....first get all your ingredients together and prepare to enjoy.  It's all very satisfying and de-stressing - you can really work out with the dough!
If you have a look under Food, you can see more details and photos.

Sea Trout:  the yellow tag denotes that it is from sustainable sources

Harry in Something Fishy

Also hoping to put sea trout on the menu tonight.  Popped into Something Fishy in East Wittering to see what's available.


Not nearly so blowy down by the beach this morning but there are still some good waves:  here's a photo from the bottom of the road where I nipped in to check on the Fish Shack too - no mackerel this morning on the board.

East Wittering beach

Opening Hours

Mon-Sat 11am for tea/coffee and
               12-2pm Lunch
               6pm-9 (ish) Dinner
Sunday   not at present but hoping to organise this soon
Open Sunday evenings during the summer

Closed in January for holidays

Where can you find us?

Phone 01243 672 754

57 Shore Road

East Wittering, PO20 8DY

south of Chichester

email: enquiries@eatsamphire.co.uk

BOOKING

Please phone us to secure a booking but you can also send an enquiry by e-mail (but this will need confirmation from us that your table has been booked). We are very small and (hopefully) very busy especially at the weekend so please book to avoid disappointment.  We'd also appreciate a quick call if you have to cancel so that we can then fill your table.  

Samphire is a restaurant...

Samphire is a restaurant where we want the ingredients to speak for themselves.

We worked hard during July last year and opened Samphire in August.  Since then we've been evolving and growing and now have a good following of loyal customers who like the way we do things!

In time for this summer, we've recently created outdoor seating from where you can spot the sea (especially if you're 6'5" tall) and watch the surfers heading for the water.

On the South Coast we're lucky to have a wealth of produce on our doorstep and aspire to buy the highest quality, together with as much locally sourced fish, meat, fruit and veg in order to make, quite simply delicious fresh food.

Our aim is for the produce to get from the gate to the plate as quickly and as efficiently as possible so our chef can create great dishes as you like it.  We cook to order, so if it's in the kitchen - we can do it!

Our menu is inspired by the seasons and what the fisherman or farmer has brought in for us.  So there are daily specials as well as a monthly menu.

We have a friendly and enthusiastic small team and hope to put a smile on everyone's face.  We'd like to think you'll be planning your return visit very soon.