TEN years have just flown since Mark and Emmanuelle Hartstone moved to the long-established La Fosse restaurant at Cranborne in 2007 and this week they celebrated their anniversary with a special tasting menu.

Mark and Emmanuelle met when both were working at the famous Chewton Glen Hotel on the edge of the New Forest at New Milton.

Chef proprietor Mark initially trained as a geologist nd petroleum engineer – he followed his passion for cooking at the turn of the millennium, and took the leap into a new career, training at the Bournemouth and Poole College catering department with a world wide reputation.

He has worked in the brigades and kitchens of some of Europe’s top chefs including Stéphane Carrade at Chez Ruffet, Raymond Blanc’s Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, with Shaun Hill at the Montagu Arms, Alan Murchison from L’Ortolan and Pierre Chevillard at Chewton Glenand later as Pierre’s sous chef at Pebble Beach, Barton-on-Sea, helping him to win the Remy Martin South East Restaurant of the Year 2007.

At La Fosse, where Mark and Emmanuelle also have six delightful guest bedrooms, Mark has added a string of awards, including Chef of the Year at the Dorset Magazine Food and Farming Awards in 2015.

The menu for their decade celebrations began with

watercress, nettle and pork (or trout) soup;

followed by cod bourguignon;

lamb rump and pulled shoulder in a courgette roll with a red current jus and potato gratin;
lemon sorbet with lemoncello;

summer pudding with a white chocolate anglaise;

cheese board

and locally roasted coffee, blended tea or refreshing herbal teas with treats from the new complimentary sweetie tray.

 

Pictured are La Fosse, and Emmanuelle and Mark with his parents, supporting Screen Bites at Cranborne/