This ‘almost-ready recipe box’ includes everything you need for a delicious seafood dish, created by chef and food writer Gill Meller. We’ve taken all the hard work out of cooking by doing most of the prep for you, so you can concentrate of relaxing and enjoying the glorious food! The simplicity of assembling and finishing the dish makes it ideal for taking with you on a local day trip too if you have a portable BBQ.

Expect a richly textured, warming dish of Cornish mussels and smoked bacon with pearl barley and shallots in a cream, white wine and parsley sauce. Here’s what Gill has to say about it:

“Porthilly Shellfish produce some of the finest mussels I’ve ever eaten, cultivated and sustainably harvested by hand in the inter-tidal waters of the River Camel Estuary, near the coastal settlement of Porthilly in Cornwall. They’re sweet, plump and meaty and work beautifully in this in this dish, which is similar to a risotto in the way it’s made but in my opinion, infinitely better.”

Cooking outside is a beautiful thing. Even if you are far from the coast, it brings a sense of connection to food in a perfect triangle of sea, sky and soil.

To celebrate the return of this simple pleasure along with the arrival of spring, we’re working with chef and food writer Gill Meller. Known from his years with River Cottage where he continues to teach cookery skills, Gill’s approach to cooking is grounded and unfussy, championing local ingredients, so working with Fish For Thought is a perfect match.

“I'm a big advocate for simple, seasonal cookery and making the most of ingredients and the natural qualities they possess. This way of thinking has helped me to define a style of cooking that is both simple and, for the most part, quick. Mine is an approach that doesn’t call for complex processes or tricky techniques. More often than not, my recipes contain just three or four main ingredients combined in such a way as to complement each other without compromise. I like to think my cooking is a reflection of my surroundings. I take inspiration from the landscape, my locality, and the amazing farmers, growers, and fisherman that produce the ingredients I use.”

You will receive:

1kg Fresh Cornish Mussels

750g pouch Pearled Barley & Smoked Bacon Risotto

185g pouch Parsley Cream Sauce

Ingredients (Allergens in UPPER CASE):

Pearled Barley & Smoked Bacon Risotto - FISH Stock (FISH, Carrot, CELERY, Fennel, Leek, Garlic), Pearled Barley (GLUTEN), White Wine (SULPHITES), Shallots, CELERY, Smoked Bacon Lardons, Olive Oil, BUTTER, Garlic, Bayleaf.

Parsley Cream Sauce - FISH Stock (FISH, Carrot, CELERY, Fennel, Leek, Garlic), Double CREAM, Parsley.

Nutritional Information:

Pearled Barley & Smoked Bacon Risotto per 100g:

• Energy 134kcal / 557kj
• Fat 6.1g
• Saturates 2.2g
• Carbs 11.5g
• Sugars 1.2g
• Protein 4.6g
• Salt 0.22g

Parsley Cream Sauce per 100g:

• Energy 314kcal / 1292kj
• Fat 30.5g
• Saturates 18.9g
• Carbs 1.3g
• Sugars 1.5g
• Protein 7.9g
• Salt 0.57g