Cornwall LivingIssue #126
Thrown for the table
Porthleven based chef Jude Kereama delivers flavours with a flourish with help from Tollhouse Pottery.
A couple of issues ago we spoke to Porthleven based chef Jude Kereama, whose collaboration with local artist Maxine Greer has seen the walls of his Porthleven restaurant come to life with colour, interest and creativity. It’s a combination that matches the food that Jude and his team bring to the table of every guest, and serves as proof of the magic that can happen when creatives come together. But it’s not only the restaurant walls on which you’ll find the marks of Jude’s determination to champion local artistry. In fact, while some of us may find ourselves ravenously focused on the food in front of us, the more discerning diners will appreciate the difference that the plate beneath it can make, something that Jude is acutely aware of.
Working with Hugh West and Karen Carlyon at Tollhouse Pottery, Jude explains: “They now provide all of the crockery for Kota. Before we started collaborating, I was taken aback by their enthusiasm at the prospect of working together, but also by what they can create and have already achieved as high-end potters. They are both super busy, but were nevertheless looking for a new challenge. Luckily for me, that challenge was to work with Kota and ensure our diners were eating off fine crockery that did justice to our food.”
Hugh, who already had experience supplying a top regional restaurant during the 14 years he spent working in France, was inspired to do the same for Kota. “For Jude, we make plates with a ‘wave’ theme to the edges, in blue-green. We also create straight-sided dishes with chattered outside edges that create texture, and we do these in both white and leaf-green.” Hugh and Karen also provide open bowls in autumnal colours, deeper bowls in a mushroom shade, as well as plates with chattered and shaded russet rims. “The attention we give to the detail, colour and quality of our hand-thrown porcelain work complements Jude’s beautiful menus.”
Jude picks up the story. “Our first collection of crockery started with our reopening back in February. I was after a collection that reflected our upcoming seasons, but also the dishes that we serve in the restaurant. Each time a season changes, I talk to Hugh and Karen in advance about the shapes, colours and sizes of crockery we need for the new dishes.” It’s a tall order, too, especially when you realise that Kota serves a lot of tasting menus, meaning they need crockery for nine courses. “That’s a lot of plates to fire!” says Jude. “It’s been a great challenge for us to get everything just right with what we are trying to create with Kota, and it’s a chef’s dream to have crockery made for you.”
The ethos at Tollhouse Pottery goes hand in hand with that which Jude continues to champion at Kota – being creative and presenting quality ingredients perfectly on fine crockery. “Hugh and Karen are fantastic people to work with and they are just like us in the way they love to create and make people smile with their craft.”
Hugh agrees, adding: “Working with Jude is always a pleasure. We love his cooking and he’s always receptive and complimentary about the pieces we produce for him.” Briefing them in every detail, including size, colour and texture, it is no small undertaking to create the next season’s crockery for Kota. “The making of the piece takes a long time,” says Hugh. “After the initial meeting comes designing, throwing, firing, a second glaze firing, and experimenting, until we have the colour and form that’s in Jude’s mind. It’s a challenge, but as a pottery, we are continually striving to stretch our skills ever further, producing pots that are not only beautiful, but that instil a wish in the viewer to handle and admire by tactile means. We pay special attention to pleasure in use and in enhancing a room with individual pieces.”
So, what can we expect at Kota now that the leaves are beginning their annual fall? “We are always excited by what each season brings,” says Jude. “Autumn will bring more brown and orange glazes that reflect the ending of the hot summer season and the beginnings of autumn and mushroom season. We’ll start creating warmer dishes to reflect the season, and look at little cups that you can grasp to warm the hands as the weather turns. When the winter arrives, we’ll be creating a menu based on all the dishes I’ve made over the years on Great British Menu. I’m already imagining the crockery I need for those wintry evenings, and this will be the next project for November and December.”
It seems that Hugh and Karen are destined for a busy few months as they continue to bring Jude’s imagination to life. As the chef himself puts it: “What we do in this industry is to try and keep our ideas interesting for our guests and luckily for us, we have Tollhouse Pottery to help keep that fire burning.”
Kota & Kota Kai