The Tray Chic series of recipes and movie recommendations comes to us from the brother and sister team Charlie and Milly Hibbert, from Cotswolds’ gem, Thyme. Milly has chosen the movies and dressed the trays with Bertioli by Thyme linens, all designed by their mother (Thyme’s founder, Caryn). Charlie – who’s in charge of all things food at Thyme’s Ox Barn – has put together these quick, simple and delicious recipes.
Movie Recommendation: Saving Grace (2000)
Saving Grace is truly one of the unsung heroes of British cinema. It romps through the life and fortunes of newly-widowed Grace Trevethyn (played perfectly by Brenda Blethyn), taking in drugs, a sexy French gangster (Tchéky Karyo), dungeons and dragons (Bill Bailey) and a lot more besides – not to forget the idyllic Cornish seaside town of Port Isaac. For fans of Martin Clunes’s Doc Martin (he also stars in the movie), it all started with Saving Grace. Honestly can’t think of many better ways to spend an evening than munching through Charlie’s summer veg frittata and watching Grace Trevethyn strutting her stuff.
Charlie Hibbert’s Summer Veg Frittata
The food issue. Yum yum. This month, we have masses going on at Thyme on the food front. The kitchen garden is bursting with produce to be used in all our dishes and the school is awash with Cook & Dine and Master a Dish classes. We about to open the Orchid House beside our fresh-water swimming pool, serving light bites and summery drinks to our hotel guests.
We’re also re-opening our village pub, The Swan at Southrop on the joyous Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend. We have masterminded a complete refurbishment and overhaul of the menu and are excited about the fruits of our labours. There’s a fresh new look; think stripes and botanical prints, gardens, dining rooms and snugs. To start with, we will open from Wednesday to Sunday – come and try it out. We barely have time to watch movies, but we’ve got a golden nugget for you this month in Saving Grace, and Charlie’s frittata is one for all seasons – except this one is for summer.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 4 free range eggs
- 50ml cream
- 50g freshly grated Parmesan
- A knob of butter
- Vegetable oil for cooking
- 3 stems of tenderstem broccoli
- ½ head of gem lettuce
- 4 tbsp ricotta
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (normal) | 200°C (fan) | gas mark 7 and bring a pan of water to the boil.
- Trim the ends of the broccoli stems and blanche for two minutes. Remove to a bowl and keep until ready.
- Cut the gem lettuce into two, lightly brush with oil and season. Grill until lightly coloured – it won’t take more than four minutes. Now, whisk the eggs and cream together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Add 30g of Parmesan and whisk through. Place a pan over a low-medium heat and allow it to come up to temperature. Pop the butter in and allow it to melt until it begins to foam.
- Roll the pan around to make sure it is thoroughly coated in butter, then tip in the egg and start to cook. Using a spatula, pull the egg into the center of the pan. When there are a few nice curds, press the vegetables into the frittata and spoon in the ricotta.
- Scatter over the remaining Parmesan, then place under the grill for four minutes, or until the parmesan has crisped and the egg has just set.
- Serve with a green salad and some crusty sourdough.
Trayscape
Our Wild Rose print is based upon the many wild roses that scramble through the hedgerows on the farm at Thyme, and in particular the dog roses (rosa canina) is the botanical template for this lively print. We love it because its happy demeanour always gets us in the mood for summer.
