Head Chef Matthew Poulton

Here on the Roseland we are so lucky. A Peninsula location provides us with a wealth of wonderful ingredients and the stunning natural beauty is awe inspiring. I would describe the principle that drives our food at the Idle Rocks as “rustic simplicity”. This is not a tag which sits easily with some people but one which I am passionate about.

The greatest meal I have experienced so far, and there have been many, was at the age of 18 on one of the Channel Islands eating fresh mackerel with bread and butter. This may sound strange to some - considering I have eaten at many fine establishments over the years - but consider this... That mackerel had been out of the sea for less than twenty minutes when it’s marbled skin hit the searing heat of the skillet. The bread was just out of the oven and the warm, salty Jersey butter glistened and shone as it spread. There was nothing complicated or fussy - my father and I had caught the fish, I cooked it, we both relished eating it.

I am constantly attempting to re-create that principle – one that seems to have been forgotten by so many Chefs today. When you come to eat at the Rocks my aim is to give to you a piece of what I hold so dear: fresh local uncomplicated food, maybe even a bit old fashioned some may say.

We have a crab, lobster and prawns man, John Hayes, who supplies the best crab I have ever seen (ask me to point out his pots as you can see them from the restaurant windows). Our forager, Miles Lavers, is gaining widespread recognition as Cornwall’s premier wild foods supplier, providing us with edible seaweeds, wild herbs and other delights.
Wet fish comes courtesy of Matthew Stevens, who rings to tell me about the morning’s catch that day. The fish is hurtled up the A30 and arrives by lunchtime super fresh and ready for the pan. Our butcher, Robert Trevarthen, provides me with only the best well matured Cornish meat from real farms on our doorstep.

The point to all of the above is as I see it, why mess around perverting flavours and making things look like a Jackson Pollack painting?
My team and I are truly blessed to be surrounded by such a wonderful natural larder and look forward to sharing with you a little of our passion for cookery.

Kindest regards,
Mathew Poulton
Head Chef.