CORNISH

HEN

Roasted to golden perfection, our Cornish hens are a refined celebration of seasonal vegetables and elegant simplicity.

Yield

2 Hen

Delicate Cornish hens arrive golden and glistening, cradling a whisper of black garlic—umami's best-kept secret waiting to surprise your palate. Beneath them sprawls a silken charred leek purée, darkened with squid ink and deepened by miso, creating an elegant canvas of smoke and intrigue. Spring vegetables dance across the plate like edible confetti—asparagus, broad beans, and fresh peas bringing their verdant sweetness to play against the dish's darker, moodier notes. Buttered chestnut mushrooms nestle in for earthiness and warmth, while delicate pea shoots add the final flourish. Every element is a conversation: the oil's gentle caress, the flirtation between bitter and umami, the interplay of light and shadow. This is a dish that whispers rather than shouts—an invitation to pause, breathe, and let luxury and simplicity speak to each other on your plate.

INGREDIENTS

Whole Hen
2 - Cornish Hen
12–16 g • 4 cloves • black garlic

Charred Leek Purée
600–700 g • 4 leeks • white leeks
15 g • 1 tbsp • squid ink
18 g • 1 tbsp • miso paste
5 g • 1 tsp • soy sauce

To Serve
80–100 g • 4 mushrooms • chestnut mushrooms
20 g • 1 knob (~1½ tbsp) • butter
80–100 g • 4 spears • asparagus
100 g • ~⅔ cup • broad beans
100 g • ~⅔ cup • fresh peas
15–20 g • 1 handful • pea shoots
15–30 g • 1–2 tbsp • rapeseed oil
3–5 g • ~½–1 tsp • salt

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 130˚C/gas mark 1/2

For the charred leek purée, cut the leeks in half lengthways and wash thoroughly. Use a very hot chargrill pan to blacken the leeks on both sides, then remove from the heat, trim down slightly and scatter evenly on the base of a saucepan

Add enough water to just cover (200-300ml), bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced and the pan is almost dry. Transfer to a high-speed blender and blitz with the squid ink, a dash of soy sauce and the miso paste

  • 1 tbsp of squid ink
  • 1 tbsp of miso paste
  • 1 dash of soy sauce

Once the purée is very smooth, press through a fine strainer, transfer to a squeezy bottle and set aside until required

Preheat oven to 150˚C/gas mark 2

Make a couple of incisions along the side of each chicken breast and stuff with the black garlic. Bake in the oven for 18 minutes, then remove and rest for 5 minutes

  • 2 cornish hens good quality, skin on
  • 1 black garlic clove

Meanwhile, cut the chestnut mushrooms in half and colour cut-side down in a hot pan with a dash of rapeseed oil. To finish, add a small knob of butter, toss to coat and season with salt

  • 4 chestnut mushrooms
  • rapeseed oil
  • 1 knob of butter
  • salt

Trim the asparagus and peel up to the tip. Blanch in boiling salted water with the peas and broad beans for 1 1/2 minute. Strain, peel the broad beans, season all the greens and keep warm

  • 4 asparagus spears
  • salt
  • 100g of broad beans
  • 100g of fresh peas

To serve, pipe the charred leek purée in swirls on the base of each plate. Slice each breast in half and place on top of the purée

Scatter the asparagus, broad beans, peas and mushrooms onto each plate and garnish with pea shoots before serving. Finish with a drizzle of oil

  • 1 handful of pea shoots

Chef Notes:

Olive oil replaces cream for silkiness without heaviness.
Keep water minimal; the puree should be thick enough to smear elegantly but still coat the sausage.
Lemon and Parmesan balance the slight bitterness of rapini.
Optional: finish with micro-greens or toasted breadcrumbs for texture.