We spent an afternoon at home with chef and food writer, Gill Meller. With a Pentire in hand, Gill prepared a whole sea bass, cooked over fire, alongside sweet autumn squash slowly roasting in its skin. A simple celebration of good food and the gentle shift of the season.

Grilled whole sea bass and autumn squash with orange & chilli butter

Serves 4

1 large whole sea bass 
3 medium sized squash
2 large oranges (for stuffing, zest and juice)
1 lime (zest and juice)
150g butter
1 fresh chilli, thinly sliced
4–6 cloves of garlic
olive oil 
bay leaves
fresh coriander

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Build a medium-hot wood fire and let it burn down until you have a nice bed of hot embers, with a few licking flames. Halve your squash and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into medium wedges, toss them in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until lightly charred and tender.

Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper. Add 3 - 4 bay leaves into the cavity along with some orange slices. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place the fish on to the grill, and cook for 10 minutes or so on each side, or until just cooked through.

In a separate pan, melt 125g of butter with 1/2 a thinly sliced chilli, 3 - 4 sliced garlic cloves and the finely grated zest of an orange and lime. Once the fish is cooked through, carefully remove from the fire onto a large platter, add the squash. Squeeze the orange and lime juice into the butter and stir in a handful of chopped coriander. Spoon the fragrant butter over the squash and fish and serve at once, with a Pentire Spritz.

Pentire Coastal Spritz

A naturally bitter aperitif

50 ml / 2 oz Pentire Coastal Spritz
150ml / 5 oz light tonic
wedge of orange & a fresh bay leaf

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Pour Pentire Coastal Spritz into a glass full of ice. Add light tonic and garnish with a wedge of orange and a fresh bay leaf.

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Recipe by Gill Meller

Photography by Ben Pryor.

Film by Will Ritson.