Spring is in at Stokehouse

For me, Spring is my favourite season.

There is an excitement in the air of fruits slowly ripening, such as stone fruits, berries, apples, along with tomatoes, greens and flowering herbs. There is a smell in the air – for me, it’s the smell of driving through the country – nasturtium leaves and flowers, wild garlic, wild sorrel, marigold, flowering rosemary, elderflower, all sprouting and flowering with their own unique, powerful, zesty and light fragrances and flavours. It isn’t just floral, herbaceous and sweet fragrances but there are also hints of smoke with BBQ season fast approaching. This really is the epitome of Spring!

Unlike Autumn or Winter, where you really have to work for flavour from robust root vegetables and braised meats, Spring does the hard work for you. The sun slowly ripening blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and beans allows me, as the cook, to do very little but showcase pure delicious flavour. It’s a tomato, slow grown on the vine, in the sun’s warmth, eaten as is, nothing but a hit of salt – amazing!

All this has allowed me to create a menu that is light, refreshing, simple, tasty, but most importantly packs heaps of flavour with a few clever pairings and simple garnishes. I, personally, want the customer to eat a plate of food and not feel full but instead feel nourished and healthier.

We live in this crazy world of readymade food and now we’re experiencing the way these ingredients should taste, naturally. I’m a big believer that if you have a great product, let it shine, for the flavour, texture it has grown to be. Therefore, our Spring menu incorporates, a lot of raw, natural, simple processes – we’re just allowing the flavour to be the hero.

Overall, I want customers who try our Spring menu to experience the same smells and feelings I get when driving through the country with hints of fresh sea air and the anticipation of a warm Summer ahead.

You can view our new Spring menu at the following link.

– Stokehouse St Kilda Head Chef, Ollie Hansford