Two minutes with Gorse chef-founder Tom Waters
Launched in May 2024, what was the inspiration behind the project, and the story behind the name ‘Gorse’?
I really wanted to do something that champions the amazing produce from my country. We have world class ingredients here, but often they don’t find their way on to restaurant menus in Wales. I wanted to help to try and change that and give a voice to the incredible growers, farmers and fishermen of Wales. I want to give our guests a real sense of time and place when they dine at Gorse, with an experience and a meal that they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
The name Gorse itself is inspired by fond memories of holidays taken in West Wales when I was little. I remember driving down to Tenby with my Mum and seeing all of these prickly bushes with bright yellow flowers on them through the car window. I really enjoy the juxtaposition of the rugged branches of the shrub with the beautifully vibrant flowers.
Tell us about your favourite ingredient or dish right now?
At the moment, it’s a vegetarian dish that we serve near the start of the menu. It’s based around incredibly sweet parsnips that are grown for us by organic farmer Pawel in Abergavenny. We roast them in yeast and serve with a parsnip miso that we make in house, some seasonal wild mushrooms, some mature Caws Cerwyn from Pantmawr Farmhouse Cheese in West Wales and some Welsh truffles from Matt Simms in Monmouthshire. You’ll always find ingredients from those guys on our menus.
What excites you most about the fine dining scene in Wales?
I think the public’s perception of fine dining in Wales has changed for the better, which is exciting. It’s no longer seen as a stuffy and intimidating experience here, it’s a lot more normalised. A lot of credit has to go to chefs like Gareth Ward at Ynyshir, James Sommerin at Home and Hywel Griffith at The Beach House for opening people's eyes to the fact that fine dining can be fun and accessible.