FOR more than a decade The Willow Tree restaurant has been hidden away on a secluded path in town tempting people in to enjoy what’s on the menu.

Darren Sherlock and Rita Rambellas opened the restaurant in 2002 after moving away from the fast-paced and impersonal lifestyle in London, seeking a humble country setting to build their lives.

Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News:

Chef Darren grew up around food as many of family members were chefs or bakers and he started working in his dad’s restaurant when he was 14.

“Cooking is in my blood – it is definitely genetic,” he said.

“I love creating the dishes, working with great ingredients, the adrenaline of the service and even running our own business.”

Darren and Rita grew tired of London after 15 years, and began their search for a place to grow their business.

They chose Somerset because of the fantastic range of ingredients.

He said: “It is an excellent place here, a little bit wetter than we thought, but that is a good thing.

“You’re so close to Bristol, and loads of coastlines where you can get high quality fish in the same day you order it.

“Sourcing local ingredients is important to me but you have to find a balance, if there was a better product 20 miles away then I would go for that. I think it pushes people to produce better products.”

Darren previously worked in London as a head chef at a Roux Brothers restaurant and still strives to make the highest quality food.

“I am the only one in the kitchen so we have to limit the amount of people we can seat. I am doing the cooking on my own so we would rather maintain our quality by keeping the numbers manageable.

“If you really care, that is the key. If you really care about the quality, then that makes all the difference.

“Our menu changes every six to eight weeks, and I try to keep things as new as possible, but we also have to keep bringing back the favourites that our regulars like.”

Some of the more adventurous dishes that Darren cooks might not be everyone’s first choice.

But if it is on their menu, then the customers know they can trust him to provide a tasty meal.

He said: “When we first arrived here, people weren’t as open to food, but now we’ve got a reputation and they trust us. If it is on the menu then they know they should give it a go.

“One time one of our regulars came in and she didn’t like pigeon or had never tried it before, it wouldn’t have been something she would order, but because she knew we made quality, she knew she could give it a try.”

Darren’s ideal three course meal to cook would start off with the Montgomery’s Cheddar soufflé cheese souffle, with a main course of confit duck, and a dessert of bread and butter pudding.

He said that these are his favourite dishes to cook and if they are taken off the menu then the customers request it back straight away.

“The duck is my favourite,” he said.

“I just love cooking it, there are so many deep flavours in the dish, it has a lovely smell, and then the skin crisps up so nicely.

Currently, the restaurant is only open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but throughout December in preparation for Christmas, the kitchen will be open on Thursdays starting from December 8.

Darren and Rita will also be open for Christmas day and have been fully booked for their festive feast since the start of September.

Recipe: 

Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News:

Bread and butter pudding 
Ingredients:

  • Seven slices medium white bread
  • Seven large whole free-range eggs (we use our own hens eggs)
  • 600ml double cream
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 150g apricot jam
  • 170g unsalted butter
  • 40g sultanas
  • Demerara sugar for sprinkling

You’ll need: 

  • 10” x 7 “ ovenproof dish
  • Two small saucepans
  • Whisk
  • Mixing bowl

Method:

  • Melt jam and butter in two separate pans.
  • De-crust bread and cut into triangles.
  • Dip one side of each triangle into butter then the other side into jam and arrange in dish.
  • Sprinkle sultanas on.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine eggs and sugar, then add the cream and vanilla.
  • Pour mix over the bread.
  • Cook in a bain marie at 100° until just set (45 mins to an hour).
  • Remove from oven, sprinkle with the Demerara sugar and place under a hot grill just long enough to caramelise.