THE RANDOM 19
Random 19 with Chef, Forager and Liqueur Maker Mat Follas. Mat won the TV series BBC MasterChef in 2009, and opened his first restaurant, The Wild Garlic in Beaminster to notable acclaim.
image: ©David Loftus
The Wild Garlic recieved two of the highest ever ratings in The Telegraph (9/10) and The Guardian (9.5/10), two AA rosettes, and recommendations in The Good Food Guide, The Michelin Guide and Trencherman’s Guide. Mat’s new fine dining restaurant Bramble is in Sherborne, and doubles as a base for his newest adventure Mure Liqueurs. Mat regularly runs cooking courses as well as courses on foraging and wild plants, and his recipes have been published in a variety of magazines including Good Food, Olive and Delicious. He has had three books published, Fish in 2015, Vegetable Perfection in 2016 and Afternoon Tea in 2018 (Waitrose Weekend’s Best Baking Book of 2018). Mat often judges food competitions and events, and is a regular judge for BBC MasterChef and The Great Taste Awards.
The Random 19 1. What’s your relationship with the Blackmore Vale (the area, not us!)? I live in Sherborne, and Bramble and Mure Liqueurs are Sherborne based; I’ve been trying for ten years to lease our current property there, but never seemed to get the timing right. Finally, 2020 was our year! Though my foraging courses tend to be on the coast, I forage for myself throughout the Blackmore Vale - every August it has the very best English Truffles. And no, I’m not sharing where!
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2. What was the last song you sang out loud in your car? (there was a heavy sigh down the phone line as Mat obviously debated whether to be honest or impressive here)
The Ting Tings ‘That’s not my name’. (Honest, then...) 3. Last movie you watched? Would you recommend it? The last movie I watched was a new Tom Clancy thing on Prime. Lots of car chases, explosions, running, panicky shouting... you know the kind of thing.
(he means Without Remorse) But it wasn’t memorable, I couldn’t recommend it because I can’t remember enough about it. It was fine, I guess? The last movie I remember is very different. That has to be ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’. I loved it, absolutely great movie. 4. It’s Friday night - you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do? A whole Friday night? Chefs do not get Friday nights off! Okay, I’m going to cook myself a big steak, run a hot bath... and then go to bed and sleep. That’s it. Perfect. Always free - subscribe here
