Three dishes not to be missed at… Le Cochon Aveugle

One of the great pleasures of my job is being involved in a food business when it is in its infancy, and then watching it grow and become established with the food lovers of York and beyond.

Le Cochon Aveugle is one of these amazing success stories.

Chef Joshua Overington and his partner Victoria Roberts met in France, and their passion for excellent French food (and the desire to bring it to York) has been the driving force behind their wonderful bistro on Walmgate.

With the French ethos of eating out well at a reasonable price, the couple introduced their set six course menu; serving the finest French food but keeping the cost within in the realms of lovers of fine dining.

I captured Le Cochon’s superb food and the team behind it, when Josh and Vicky realised that they needed some mouthwatering professional images for their new website and press releases (as they were starting to become recognised after only one year of opening).

Since then it has been wonderful to watch Josh’s creative French cooking, and Vicky’s excellent front of house care and attention receive national acclaim.

This year will be a really exciting year for the whole team at Le Cochon, as Josh is now taking part in the BBC’s Great British Menu.

I am sure all who have tasted his food will be watching, and wishing him well in this year’s competition.

Here are my favourite three dishes at Le Cochon Aveugle.

1. Mussels and beer

I love mussels and a purely decadent combination is Shetland mussels cooked in Corsican beer with samphire. With the added dimension of hollandaise and truffles in Josh’s dish, it has a rich tang of the sea in every mouthful.

After tasting this dish I was left dreaming of sunshine, blue seas, and I added Corsica to my ‘to visit’ list…

2. Perfect pear

I am not usually a big dessert eater as I find I have much more of a savoury tooth than a sweet one.

So I was wonderfully surprised to fall for Joshua’s pistachio and nougat encrusted Sauternes poached pear, with a chestnut-honey ice cream.

The poached pear is mellow and buttery, and the nuttiness of the crust adds a divine crunchiness. And the ice cream… well I could eat a giant bowlful of this honeyed sweetness all on its own.

3. Tropical tomato

My third dish still makes me drool every time I think of it. Tomato farci with exotic fruit mincemeat, and star anise ice cream.

No one could be more surprised than me to have two desserts in my three favourite dishes, but this is no ordinary dessert. Josh slow roasts the tomato in the oven for half a day, basting it with Corsican honey to intensify the flavours.

The spiced tropical fruit mincemeat inside oozes warmth; and the intense sweetness of the tomato is irresistible.

Star anise ice cream with spiced sticky fruit, what is not to love? I finished the lot!