Salt of the earth

Salt of the earth

I NEVER thought a potato could taste so good. But it did and it was a credit to the Atlantic Hotel’s new chef, Will Holland, the island of Jersey and the entire staff at this wonderful west-coast establishment.

The Atlantic has done Jersey proud in taking our most prized agricultural export – the noble Jersey Royal – and presenting it not just as the most celebrated of accompaniments to a main course, which we already know it is, but a showstopper in its own right.

I had the pleasure to be invited to the opening night of the new Tasting Room at the Atlantic and one of the many highlights delivered by Will Holland was the exquisite salt-baked Jersey Royal potato.

With a rich, heavy, smoky flavour, the dish, which felt like a culinary tribute to our beloved local spud, was accompanied with onions, capers and Comté, and most importantly with a glass of Macon-Uchizy Les Maranches – the buttery flavour of which was the perfect complement.

And the superb dish was in good company throughout the exceptional new tasting menu.

The Jersey scallop carpaccio, accompanied with avocado, passion fruit and shizo, seemed at first glance like just too many flavours to fit in one dish. But the tastes complemented each other perfectly, making this zingy dish a great starter for the evening.

Next up was the long overdue experience for me of eating beef tartare for the first time. Again, it was perfectly delivered, and with the novel factor of being produced with the tender beef from retired Jersey dairy cows.

This was followed by the potato dish, and I need not say any more about that.

This was an evening of many peaks, and the next dish was a super-delicate Jersey turbot fillet served with a glass of equally delicate Sicilian wine.

We were again bombarded with flavours from the pork neck served with pieces of squid and preserved lemon that followed.

We then moved into dessert territory and the deliciously light citrus sorbet, with its fizzing taste, was beautifully presented like a mixture of treats from a sweet shop.

And it was just the warm-up for what was another show-stopper – the excellent ‘mojito’ dessert.

Designed to be reminiscent of the famous Cuban cocktail, the final dish of the night was a blend of chocolate, mint and kalamansi.

Every mouthful was not only a blend of different flavours but of different textures as you sailed through this deliciously foamy, creamy and biscuity dessert.

The Atlantic Hotel take pride in what they do and their new tasting room, a complement to the main restaurant, is intimate, immaculate and the perfect place to unwind.

It’s pretty clear what my favourite dish of the night was. I would suggest it’s well worth you discovering what yours will be.

  • The chef

Fresh and unique produce, the opportunity to work in a food-oriented, family-run hotel and moving to a ‘lovely’ place where he could raise his family – Jersey ‘ticked all the boxes’ for the Atlantic’s new head chef.

After a four year stint in the Coast restaurant in Pembrokeshire, Will Holland decided it was time to move on, and after a long and painstaking selection process the Atlantic Hotel decided that he was the man to take on their restaurant, including their new tasting room.

And the Atlantic was 39-year-old Will’s first choice as well, not least because the additional responsibilities of hotel catering, such as making breakfast, were a new challenge for him. The setting of our beautiful island made it an even better fit.

‘I was looking for a new challenge and the Atlantic presented me with that. It’s hotel, not just a kitchen, so you are not just doing lunch and dinner, and I’m good with that,’ he said.

‘And I think Jersey fits perfectly with where I am with my life at the moment.

‘We have a little baby, so were looking for somewhere to bring her up. And my wife was looking for work after her maternity and looking for somewhere lovely to live. Jersey ticked all the boxes.’

Will moved to the Island five months ago with his wife Camilla, who now works as an assistant manager in the hotel, and his 1½-year-old daughter, Stefania.

He said that the Atlantic’s focus on serving excellent food and uniqueness as an independent hotel were massive attractions for him professionally.

‘It’s a small family-run hotel, and for me that means that I don’t have to deal with a board of directors or lots of people,’ he said.

‘From a gastronomy point of view for me, the Atlantic prioritises its food and makes it one of its selling points, along with its views and its high-quality accommodation. As a hotel, it is food and beverage led.’

Will said that the freshness and variety of Jersey produce was ‘very exciting for him’, and with his new team at the Atlantic he hopes he can take local produce and really do something different with it, such as serving Jersey beef in a tartare dish.

‘It’s been five months and I am still learning and building relationships with the suppliers,’ he said.

‘You are very lucky to have all of your produce on your door-step and to know that it is so fresh because it has come from Jersey that day rather than travelled across the country.

‘We have been playing around with Jersey beef. It has a unique flavour because it is very rich and almost gamey in taste.

‘We had the idea of serving it raw. We are going to be experimenting with all the ingredients which we have here now.’

  • The Tasting Room

The new private tasting room at the Atlantic will exclusively offer tasting menus developed by Will Holland, which he describes as ‘a modern adventure in food and wine’.

Joining the Atlantic in late 2017, Will has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants since the age of 18. He was awarded a Michelin star before he was 30 and has been recognised by the Good Food Guide as one of its predicted ten most influential chefs in the next decade.

In the intimate tasting room, which has just 14 covers, guests are treated to a seven-course tasting menu, offering a celebration of the best local ingredients and produce sourced from Jersey and its waters.

Paired wine flights specially selected by the hotel’s experienced food and beverage manager are served as an accompaniment.

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