The Hambrough at home in September

We’re delighted to launch this new cookery section with our fancy friends at The Hambrough – Ventnor’s fabulous restaurant with 5 AA stars, and swish accommodation. Every month, we’ll be sharing one of their top recipes for you to try at home (and then pleeease send us the pics!). We’re kicking off with a mackerel dish, to help celebrate this month’s Festival of the Sea. We’ve also got a mini Q&A for you with Head Chef Darren Beevers. Plus we asked Chef B for his favourite seasonal ingredients. Funnily enough, baked beans isn’t one of them…

Top chef Darren Beevers gets a good grilling

'No, we don't have HP sauce': The Hambrough's Head Chef Darren Beevers

The Hambrough’s Head Chef Darren Beevers. What’s his secret? Find out below.

We turned up the heat and put six questions to the Hambrough’s new Head Chef…

1. How are you and your partner Jo Rogers finding life in Ventnor?
We’re really loving Ventnor, it is such an amazing change from London. The complete lifestyle change and the sense of community spirit is such a big difference from being in a city.

2. Complete the following sentence “I love Ventnor because…”
… it feels like home already!

3. What’s your favourite vegetable?
Asparagus – it’s super tasty and so versatile.

4. We know you use Isle of Wight produce – do you have any particular favourites?
I have discovered so many amazing products in a short time but favourites include the lobster and crab from Ventnor, plus IOW tomatoes are amazing, IOW blue cheese is a ‘must’ and also the meat and fish from the Island are spectacular.

5. Picture the scene, you’re at home with barely anything in the cupboard. What would you cook?
I’d go out and eat at one of the Island’s great restaurants! Or if I had to cook, I would make a one pot dish with whatever I had – a nice stew, soup or cassoulet.

6. Tell us a secret?
We’ve just got a puppy called Winston!

My top three September ingredients by The Hambrough’s Darren Beevers

  1. Grouse – because of the intense flavor and it is my favorite game bird.
  2. Celeriac – so versatile and makes amazing soups and salads.
  3. Butternut squash – vibrant colours, sweet flesh and great roasted.

Recipe of the Month – Mackerel escabeche, charred IOW tomatoes, squid ink and tempura avocado

The Hambrough restaurant in Ventnor, Isle of Wight


This is how mackerel escabeche looked when The Hambrough’s Darren Beevers made it. Now email us your pics to [email protected]

1 mackerel filleted
150g IOW baby yellow plum tomatoes
150g IOW baby red plum tomatoes
100g olive oil
50g white wine
50g white wine vinegar
2 egg yolks
200g Oil of Wight or sunflower oil
1 tbsp squid/cuttlefish ink
1 lemon juiced
Salt and pepper
1 pack of tempura flour

First job… Mackerel marination (Escabeche)
Combine the wine, vinegar and half the olive oil then season and place in a shallow tray or food bag with the mackerel fillets. Leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour but it’s better overnight. Escabeche is a Spanish recipe for creating lightly pickled fish. The vinegar cooks and cures the fish and can be kept like this for up to a week.

Second job… Squid ink mayo
In a bowl or food processor start to whisk the yolks, slowly add the Oil of Wight and continue whisking. The yolks and oil will emulsify creating a thick mayo. Add the ink, lemon juice and seasoning and stir to combine. Reserve in the fridge, this will keep for 5 days. If you cannot find squid ink or don’t like it you could use shop bought mayo and adjust the flavour with some lemon, herbs, garlic etc…

Third job… IOW tomato sauce
Blend 100g of the yellow tomatoes with 25g of olive oil, season and pass through a sieve.
Then repeat with the red tomatoes. Reserve the 2 sauces in the fridge.

Fourth job… Avocado tempura
Cut the avocado in half, remove stone and peel. Cut into 8 wedges and rub a little lemon juice onto to retain the colour.
Mix the tempura flour with some cold water as directed on packet.

Finally… to serve

  1. Remove the mackerel from the fridge for 15 mins to bring to room temperature.
  2. Take a blow torch or the flame on your oven top and char the IOW tomatoes, cut in half, season and leave on the side.
  3. Coat the avocados in flour and fry until crisp.
  4. Blow torch the skin of the mackerel or place under a grill… the fish should be served warm as the vinegar has cooked the flesh.
  5. Place artistic dots of the tomato sauce and mayo on the plate, then arrange the tomatoes, top with the mackerel and garnish with the avocado tempura.

We hope you’ll enjoy making this recipe at home. Please email a pic of your dish to and we’ll put the best (and the funniest!) on the website.

Next month, we’ll be asking Darren Beevers for a few cooking tips. How do you poach an egg? What does perfect toast look like? If you’ve got any culinary questions that you’d like to put to him, drop us an email at .

Happy cooking!

The Hambrough
Address: Hambrough Rd, Ventnor PO38 1SQ
Tel: 01983 856333
Website