Meet The Chef

Head chef Dale and Sous chef Guy from Heligan Kitchen, talk to myCornwall about what it’s like using the amazing produce grown in the famous gardens to make some seriously good food.

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Tell us about heligan and what it’s like working in such a diverse location? 

Guy: Having one of the finest productive gardens in the United Kingdom as our main source of ingredients is a real treat. Knowing that the produce is grown so close and having such a wide choice of ingredients to work with makes working in the Heligan Kitchen so special and unique. 

Dale: It’s great working at Heligan because of the diversity of the fruit and vegetables that we have available to us in the kitchen, from all the heritage varieties and the more unusual types that I had never seen before. I love the traditional Victorian methods that the gardeners use to grow these rare heritage varieties.

In a few words, how would you describe the food at heligan? 

Guy: Rustic, fresh, varied.

Dale: The dishes that we create within the Heligan Kitchen are local (157yards) and fresh. If we’re not able to source our ingredients from the gardens and estate, they’re fine picked from a select group of local suppliers. Our menu is quite a diverse but traditional menu with something for everyone. Occasionally we’re inspired, by the bounty of produce, to slip a few non-traditional dishes onto the specials board.