Describing his cooking style as ‘international grandmother’, Val is known for his deep understanding of both wild and cultivated ingredients and his ability to make something delicious with apparently little, most likely gathered from his immediate surroundings..
Originally trained as a painter and illustrator and having ‘done time’ in London restaurants and his own catering company he suddenly found himself on television. Val has made seven series combining his love of food, travel and nature.
He has written four cookery books, his fifth publication ‘The Consolation Of Food’ more a story book peppered with recipes. Straddling both solids and liquids Val is also a partner in the Hepple Spirits Distillery, Northumberland.
Photo: Nick Kelley