Gary Foulkes: Why winter truffle defines the season at Michelin-starred Cornus

At Michelin-starred Cornus in Belgravia, winter truffle threads its way through the menu - from Pyrenean lamb to parmesan spaghetti and even dessert.

For executive head chef Gary Foulkes, truffle is not about indulgence for its own sake, but about balance, restraint and classical pairing.

Drawing on a career that includes The Square and Angler, Gary explains why sourcing, slicing and seasoning make the difference between luxury and waste.

Gary Foulkes’ classical foundations

Gary Foulkes has built his career through some of the UK’s most respected fine dining kitchens, developing a classical foundation that continues to shape his cooking today.

He spent formative years at The Square in Mayfair under Phil Howard, where he rose through the ranks in one of London’s most technically disciplined two-Michelin-star environments.

Earlier in his career he also worked with Gary Rhodes, experiences that reinforced his grounding in French technique, precision and sauce-led cookery.

Gary went on to become executive chef at Angler at South Place Hotel in the City of London, a seafood-focused restaurant which held a Michelin star during his tenure.

There, he oversaw a menu built around high-quality fish and shellfish, structured plates and clean, balanced flavours - a style that became closely associated with his approach.

Cornus’ Michelin recognition in Belgravia

In 2024, Gary took on the role of executive head chef at Cornus in Belgravia, a new fine dining restaurant from David O’Connor and Joe Mercer Nairne, the team behind Medlar.

Located on the rooftop of Eccleston Yards, Cornus was conceived as a modern European restaurant rooted in seasonality and premium produce. Within its first year, Cornus was awarded a Michelin star, marking a significant milestone in the restaurant’s journey and establishing it quickly within London’s competitive fine dining landscape. It retained the star in 2026.

At Cornus, Gary’s cooking reflects the cumulative influence of his career - classical technique, precise execution and a focus on ingredient quality - applied within a contemporary setting.

The menu balances luxury produce with clarity and restraint, delivering dishes that are technically assured but flavour-led.

The Michelin recognition forms part of that story: a continuation of Gary’s experience at starred level, and a defining chapter in Cornus’ rapid ascent.

Seasonal produce and the role of winter truffle

Produce included across the set menus, à la carte or tasting menus include Devon crab, Cornish pollock, pink Yorkshire rhubarb. An ingredient which also plays a key role in Gary’s quest to combine top-quality produce with classical flavours is winter truffle.

It features across dishes such as the lamb main course, as well as the ever-popular parmesan spaghetti dish and even as a topping on the roasted popcorn dessert.

Truffle itself varies across the seasons and varieties.

Discussing his sourcing of truffle for his restaurant, Gary said: “They've all got a different sort of flavour spectrum.

“English truffle for me is not something I generally bother with. Most of my truffles come from Italy or from France. From Italy, they come from Le Marche region in Tuscany or from the Pyrenees in France. But generally I sort of lean towards Italian truffle.

“Flavour wise, English truffle is not that intense of a flavour in my experience.

“Winter truffle is a very, very different thing from summer truffle. They’re both truffles, but they’ve both got very, very different flavours.

“Italian or French winter truffle, 9.9 times out of 10 they are delicious.”

He added: “Summer truffles, it's almost a lighter flavour, so you pair it with different things. But a winter truffle, it's beautiful with everything that's kind of around in winter if you like.

“It's amazing with Pyrenean lamb, beef, turbot and obviously pasta. It's just a delicious thing. And for me, it's one of the nicest things to cook with at this time of year.”

How to cook with truffle properly

Truffle flavour itself can be overpowering and an unpleasant texture to eat, when prepared incorrectly.

It is also not cheap to purchase.

“I think when someone doesn’t know what they're doing with it, then it becomes a waste of money, like anything really,” said Gary.

“There’s no point in having and paying for an elite product and if you don't know what to do with it or what to pair it with.

“Something I would teach young chefs is probably how thick you slice it when they're using a truffle slicer. It makes a massive difference.

“If you've just got really thinly sliced wafers of truffle over pasta, it's delicious. But if they go a little bit too thick, it then becomes a texture. It doesn't want to become a texture, it wants to be a flavour.

“With truffle, I personally don't season too hard or too high with salt because the truffle wants to be the dominant flavour.

“It needs to be enhanced by seasoning, but it wants to be the dominant flavour.

“Don't be ridiculous and put it with something that it just doesn't work with. It has to work on a on a flavour level, otherwise there's no point in doing it.

“Lots of people have different opinions on what they believe goes with what. I'm quite classic in my take on what I think truffle goes with. I just put it with other nice things.”