James Petrie: Tart of Flowers with muscat grape sorbet and lovage ice cream

The chef, who joined friend Brett Graham to work at his restaurant last year, uses a pastry base made with a mix of light brown and Demerara sugars which produces texture 'almost like playdough' that he says is easy to work with. 

A liquorice root and star anise panna cotta-type cream filling is topped with pieces of meringue and fresh blackberries before a blackberry-flavoured gel is added. 

Both blackberries and liquorice contain a chemical called eugenol, says Petrie, which is why they partner well. "We use food pairing between ingredients," he says, "We use the connection as a tool for creativity." 

The tart is finally topped with the muscat grape and port sorbet and lovage ice cream before being topped with edible flowers. Petrie's top tip before serving ice cream is to put it onto a paper towel first to remove some of the excess moisture. 

Petrie says of the dish: "It's a very simple fruit tart, but using a bit of science with the flavour combinations and technique with the pastry and cream."