I am Emily Watkins and after a life long passion for food I eventually got the confidence to move to Italy where I got a job in a restaurant in Florence.

Seven years ago my husband and I opened The Kingham Plough. We are lucky that it has gone from strength to strength with a great team to support us.

We specialise in traditional recipes, using modern methods of cooking. We change our menu every month to allow for the different produce available.

RECIPE

For six people

* 3 fresh mackerel, filleted and boned

For the mayonnaise

* 3 rock oysters
* juice of 1 lemon
* 1tsp Dijon mustard
* 1 egg yolk
* 175ml groundnut oil 
* 25ml rapeseed oil

For the salad

* 100gr marsh samphire (available from fishmongers counters, even in supermarkets these days)
* 1 large cucumber
* juice of 1/2 lemon
* 80ml rapeseed oil

Method:

For the mayonnaise: Open the oysters and wash them in their own juice.

Place the oysters in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Add the lemon juice, mustard, egg yolk and oyster juice (passed though a fine sieve), turn the machine on at a fairly gentle speed.

When all are incorporated, slowly add the oils and mix until thick and emulsified as a mayonnaise. Place in the fridge in a container immediately.

For the mackerel: Check for bones.

Brush with oil on all sides and season with sea salt and pepper. Place on a tray ready to go under a hot grill

For the salad: Cut the cucumber in half.

Peel half of the cucumber and then slice with a mandolin into strips about 3mm thick. Cut into julienne ribbons.

For the other half, leave the skin on and slice into six slices with the mandolin.

Place the thicker slices with peel on on the same tray as the mackerel and season with sea salt.

Blanch the samphire in a pan of boiling water for just one minute.

Drain off and chill in a bath of iced water.

To finish: Place the mackerel and cucumber under a hot grill until crispy and grilled.

Bring it out and finish with a squeeze of lemon.

Place the cucumber julienne and samphire in a bowl and season with the lemon and rapeseed oil dressing.

Place the charred cucumber on a plate with the mackerel on top.

Spread the salad around and lastly add generous dollops of the oyster mayonnaise.