A chef has shared an unexpected ingredient that celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal uses to elevate his shepherd's pie recipe. Jack Croft, who runs the Fallow, Roe and FOWL restaurants in London with business partner Will Murray, previously worked under Blumenthal at his Michelin-starred restaurant, Dinner by Heston.
Croft revealed that Blumenthal's 'secret weapon' for the dish is lamb shanks, which are braised for eight to ten hours at 85 degrees Celsius. The meat is then combined with lamb mince and a star anise, a spice commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Croft explained that star anise contains a compound called anethole, which 'scientifically... was researched to increase the perception of savouriness'.
The recipe, inspired by Blumenthal's version from his Michelin-starred pub The Hinds Head in Bray, also includes a mint gastrique and wholegrain mustard in the mash. Croft demonstrated the method on Fallow's YouTube channel, describing shepherd's pie as 'one of Britain's most iconic dishes' but noting that 'very few people are cooking it correctly'.
