It was at the prestigious Chatsworth Angling Fair where I met up with super-chef Martin Griffiths - and I've got to say - I was very impressed. Now I've caught my share of trout in the past and usually they've ended up in the frying pan, and to be honest, they've tasted pretty average. After sampling Martin's delightful savoury poached trout it's obvious my cooking skills are sadly lacking and I should stick to catching them! OK - think of chefs nowadays and the image of nasty, foul-mouthed TV louts in white suits springs to mind - what a refreshing change to meet a true gentleman. Martin is one of the nicest chaps you could hope to meet, during his cooking demonstration at Chatsworth he enthralled the crowds with his abilities and his approachable manner. Questions from his knowledgeable audience were fielded with confident aplomb whilst cooking all his dishes 'live.' Yep, no 'here's one I prepared earlier' routines, just confident cookery at its best. For the last 10 years Martin has worked for Rutland Hotels Ltd., first at the Izaak Walton Hotel, Dovedale - and now at the Monk Fryston Hall Hotel, where his reputaton speaks for itself. He enjoys all styles of cooking but his preference is for simple food, cooked well, where the flavours speak for themselves. Savoury Poached Trout (serves 4 people) Ingredients 4 whole trout, cleaned and boned Half a pint of red wine 4 shallots, finely chopped 1 cup of breadcrumbs 4 ounces of butter 4 teaspoons of seed mustard 2 leeks, chopped 1 small carton of double cream And this is what you do... 1. Melt 1 ounce of butter, add shallots and cook until soft, remove from heat, add breadcrumbs and seed mustard - mix well. 2. Fill trout with breadcrumbs, place in a pan and add red wine to cover and poach slowly. 3. Place leeks in a pan with a little oil, cook gently for a few minutes, add cream and seasoning, bring to the boil and cook for further two minutes on low heat. 4. Remove trout from pan, if there is a lot of liquid left, reduce by half then gently whisk the remaining butter into this mixture to form a light sauce. 5. Divide leeks between plates, place trout on top and pour sauce around the fish. 6. Garnish and serve. If you fancy sampling more of Martin's cookery, you can visit the Monk Fryston Hall Hotel Monk Fryston North Yorkshire LS25 5DU. Tel: 01977 682369 Website: www.monkfryston-hotel.co.uk