Farmer’s Daughter Shares Her Love of Cooking at Royal Deeside Estate

Cooking medieval banquets, making bacon butties for a top British golfer – there isn’t much that chef Liz Peck hasn’t turned her creative hand to. Describing herself as “just a farmer’s daughter that loves cooking,” the Glen Tanar Estate cook has come a long way from her days of managing 100 factory girls at Courtaulds, formerly one of Britain’s leading textile companies. Having worked at Glen Tanar in the heart of Royal Deeside for the past nine and a half years, Liz runs the Estate’s first class catering service, Liz’s Larder, which is available exclusively to guests staying in the Estate’s holiday cottages.

Liz says,

“I make homemade bread, jams, home baking and a range of oven ready meals, freshly prepared to order. There is a menu to choose from, but if a guest asks for something different, I do my best to accommodate them, whether it is for dietary reasons or just food preferences. I try to use organic and locally sourced produce whenever I can, and the meat for my Glen Tanar Venison with Chocolate Sauce dish is sourced from the Estate’s own population of Red and Roe Deer.”

Raised on a farm in the small Nottinghamshire village of Whitwell, Liz learned to cook at the young age of five, but her first experience in the food industry didn’t occur until years later when she was made redundant from her role as line manager at Courtaulds in Derbyshire. From there she went to work with a market gardener for the next two years, growing and selling vegetables.

Liz then trained and worked as a carer for an autistic boy in Hemel Hempstead before returning to the food industry by providing catering services at a Nottinghamshire golf club. It was there that she met Steven Heath, the club’s head chef, who recognised Liz’s potential in the kitchen and played a major role in crafting her culinary skills. Liz worked alongside Steven catering for medieval banquets at Eckington Hall in Derbyshire and followed him to Worksop Golf Club, where she regularly made bacon butties for professional golfer Lee Westwood amongst other duties. From there Liz moved to Markham Hotel near Retford when Steven bought and renovated the property. In 2000 Liz saw an advert for a housekeeper role at Glen Tanar and successfully applied for the job.

Liz says,

“My mother always encouraged my siblings and I to cook but I do think it is something that has to come naturally to you. Most of my experience has been gained by learning on the job through trial and error. The time that I spent working with Steve helped to add some finesse to my traditional, farmhouse style of cooking.

“I’m always keen to learn more, and since being at Glen Tanar I have taken part in several master classes. I really enjoy being able to use my creative skills to provide delicious meals for others to enjoy. Being able to do this against the beautiful backdrop at Glen Tanar is what keeps me here.”

Claire Bruce, owner of Glen Tanar Estate, says,

“Liz has been with us for nearly a decade, and is a highly valued member of the team. She initially joined us as our housekeeper but that role quickly evolved into that of head cook, and we created Liz’s Larder. Liz’s first class cooking with local produce is well known in Aberdeenshire, and we’ve had numerous requests for her to provide catering services externally. Unfortunately she’s just too busy at the moment!”

For more information about Glen Tanar Estate or to make a booking, contact 013398 86451 or visit
www.glentanar.co.uk for more details.

Wild Mushroom and Strathdon Blue Cheese Tart (makes 8 individual tartlets)

Ingredients
750g shortcrust pastry
600g mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
8 tbsp olive oil or 60g unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves
400g Strathdon blue cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
280ml (½ pint) double cream
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
Mixed salad to garnish

Recipe
Line eight tartlet tins with the pastry.
Place clingfilm on top of the pastry and fill it with dried beans or peas. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180-200 degrees until golden brown then lift the clingfilm and beans off and allow the tart to dry out.
In the meantime, sauté the mushrooms with olive oil or butter, chopped garlic and seasoning.
Drain the mushrooms on kitchen paper and transfer to a bowl.
Mix the cheese and parsley with the mushrooms and spoon into the tartlets.
Whisk together the eggs, cream and seasoning to form a custard and pour on top of the cheese mixture, leaving ¼ tin at the top to allow for rising in the oven.
Bake tartlets in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.
Garnish with mixed salad.

Glen Tanar Venison with Chocolate Sauce (serves 8)

Ingredients
Piece of venison haunch or fillet – allow 110g (¼ lb) per person

(For the Chocolate Sauce)
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
Salt and pepper
570ml (1 pint) of vegetable or venison stock
A knob of butter
2 tbsp plain flour
140ml (¼ pint) red wine
50g dark chocolate, 85% cocoa, broken into pieces
1 tbsp raspberry jelly preserve (optional)

Sweet n’ Sour Braised Cabbage
1 red cabbage, finely sliced
1 onion
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
A knob of butter
Handful of dried cranberries

Recipe
For the sweet n’ sour braised cabbage, sauté the cabbage with the onion in butter.
Add red wine vinegar, water, Demerara sugar and dried cranberries.
Leave the cabbage to soften for approximately one hour, adding water if necessary to ensure that it doesn’t dry out.
Roast the venison at 180-200 degrees in a roasting pan, allowing 20 minutes per 450g (pound) of meat.
For the chocolate sauce, sweat the onion off in some butter with the garlic.
Gradually add flour until it has been absorbed by the butter.
Gradually add the stock until the mixture becomes a smooth, thick sauce.
Once the venison is ready, deglaze the roasting pan by pouring in the red wine and then pouring it into the sauce mixture.
Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sauce is thick.
Add the chocolate – if the mixture is too bitter, add 1 tbsp of raspberry jelly.
Serve the venison with the chocolate sauce, sweet n’ sour braised cabbage and your choice of potatoes.