Pickled celery

3 very fresh celery stalks

750ml Greystone Verjuice

Pickling spices: tsp each mustard seed, caraway seed, peppercorns.

1 tsp salt

Gouda custard

500g cream

100g egg yolks

180g grated aged gouda

Pinch of salt

30g butter

To finish

4 fresh figs

Toasted sunflower seeds

Mallow flowers, or similar, to garnish

Leaves from celery

Chef Cameron Woodhouse has just joined Greystone’s cellar door as head chef. Originally from Aberdeen, Cam has worked at the acclaimed Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. He came to New Zealand where he was a pastry chef at Amisfield restaurant, Inati, and most recently, as Head Chef at Eliza’s Manor.

He says getting to run his own kitchen is a dream come true, even if it comes with a few sleepless nights. “I love it here. I have full control over the menu, which is something I’ve not had before. It just means I don’t sleep Sunday or Monday because I tend to lie awake planning the week’s menu,” says Cam with a laugh.

This is a light autumnal dish that is a beautiful way to start a meal. The Gouda is from Karikaas in Loburn – Cam loves their aged version, which is crumbly and incredibly tasty. The verjuice is less acidic than vinegar, so a great way to enable better wine pairings.

To pickle the celery, heat the verjuice in a saucepan with the salt and spices. Thinly slice the celery using a mandolin or your own awesome knife skills. When verjuice is hot, pour over the celery and allow to marinate for four hours plus.

In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil and just before it boils all over your cooktop, remove from heat and pour over the remaining ingredients, whisk to combine. For best results, use a stick blender. Pass through a fine sieve if you like a finer texture and allow it to cool.

Serve a spoonful of custard in the bottom of the bowl, garnish with quartered figs, drained celery, and top with flowers and toasted sunflower seeds.

Fresh figs, vintage gouda and celery