March Profile: Philippa Davis
Philippa Davis is the cookery columnist for The Field Magazine, a chef and tv presenter.
She grew up with her extended family on a small holding in Dorset where her love for food and feeding people was sparked. At 14 she got her first job in a restaurant, it was hot, fast and furious and she was instantly hooked into the world of hospitality.
Moving to London age 19 she spent the next 10 years working in some of the city’s top restaurants including The River Café (1 Michelin star) and Moro before setting up what was to become the award winning Mudchute Kitchen on London’s largest city farm. In 2010 she made the leap into private cheffing and has since then travelled the globe for a range of high-profile clients, cooking for a variety of occasions including fishing, stalking and shooting weeks.
Excited by the ingredients, dishes and cooking techniques she was encountering from Scotland to Singapore and from the Cotswolds to the Caribbean, Philippa wanted to share her experiences and so began to write and in 2014 landed the job as cookery writer for The Field Magazine.
“I was so excited to become the cookery writer for The Field Magazine where I would get to champion British seasonal ingredients and in particularly game. As a chef I find the meat incredibly versatile and love that’s its so nutritious.”
With a desire to provide the shooting community with delicious ideas for their bag as well as engage with a much wider community who were not familiar with game, Philippa’s recipes are fresh, modern and fun.
“I very much feel part of the field sports group responsibility to encourage more people to try game whether that’s through my recipes, or dishes I’m serving at home for friends and family. For first timers I will often cook something familiar and popular like a pheasant schnitzel or venison spaghetti meatballs to show how accessible the meat is and how easy it is to swap into every day meals”.
Philippa also writes for BBCfood and the recipes for the Deepest Book series which celebrates the roots of unique communities taking one county at a time. Covering the art, history, people, places and of course food they have explored Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, sales from the book go to local charities.
“Deepest Books is a fantastic project to be part of as it truly champions local. In my section I try to find as many regional producers as possible and use their products in my recipes. I have been able to include game, either as charcuterie or fresh, in all three books. King Charles wrote the forward for our latest book, Deepest Somerset, as he is also a massive supporter and understands the importance of connecting with the land which feeds and supports us.”
Photos by Rick Pennington and you can see some of Philippa’s recipes in The Field Magazine: The Field | Countryside issues, hunting, fishing, gun dogs & gun reviews
If you want to see more of what Philippa does, please follow her on instagram @philippadavis_food