Majority Rules – The Wicked Witch

Meet the Chef Dan Gill, 26, is head chef at The Wicked Witch

‘I started washing pots when I was 12 years old as a Saturday job in my home town of Lincoln. Eventually they asked me if I wanted to try and make a few starters and puddings and I just fell in love with the buzz of a working kitchen. After studying to become a chef I started working as an apprentice at Le Manoir in Oxford and worked my way up to senior chef de partie before moving to Midsummer House in Cambridge and was sous chef by the age of 23. Then I went to London for a couple of years and was head chef at Roussillon (another Michelin Star restaurant) where I won three rosettes in six months. But I wanted to get closer to home and my daughter so when this job came up it was perfect.

‘It’s all about making the best of the local produce and seasonal ingredients.’

‘When I met the directors here they told me they didn’t want to serve pub food, they wanted it to be restaurant-quality food but with bar snacks as well (the Witch offers snacks such as a Lincolnshire Poacher fondue for £5.50 or home-smoked mackerel pate with toasted rye, shallot and chive mayonnaise for £6) and I think that’s what people want nowadays: to eat good quality food but in a less formal setting. They don’t want to get all suited and booted just to eat; a nice shirt and a pair of jeans is more relaxing. As soon as I saw the building and learned about all the local produce that’s available, I knew exactly what sort of dishes I was going to put on the menu. I’m not an egotistical person so I’m not going to cook food that I cooked in London just to show off. It’s all about making the best of the local produce and seasonal ingredients. Our lamb is reared in the fields behind us, the beef is farmed in Bourne, we get fish from Rutland, we go out and forage for our own wild herbs: when you eat at the Witch, you’re eating part of Lincolnshire itself!

From the menu
A small sample of dishes from the menu at The Wicked Witch*

Begin
Squashed Duck: Confit duck leg, butternut squash soup, red onion marmalade, pine nuts: £7.00

Scottish Scallops: Pan-seared Scottish scallops, apple puree, coriander cress, pickled ginger: £11.00

Middles
Cod: Pot roast fillet of Cornish cod, white bean and cockle cassoulet, home pickled lemon: £13.00

Lincolnshire reared beef: Char-grilled sirloin, braised rib, potatoes, shallots, red wine and bone marrow sauce: £22.50

End
Coconut: Toasted coconut rice pudding, passion fruit and mango compote: £6.50

Banana and cherry: Banana bread and mousse, caramelised banana, sour cherries: £6.50

• The menu is frequently changed to take account of fresh seasonal produce so these dishes may not be available when you visit.

The Wicked Witch, Bridge Street, Ryhall, Rutland, PE9 4HH
Tel: 01780-763649 www.ryhallwitch.com email:

Lunch from 12 – 3 pm, Tuesday to Saturday, 12 – 4 pm on Sunday
Dinner from 6 – 9.30 pm, Tuesday to Saturday