Exeter Lives
Alex Gibbs
NEW SOUTHERNHAY HOUSE HEAD CHEF ON INSPIRATION, DEDICATION – AND THE LURE OF A “CHEEKY” TAKEAWAY...
Q. Where do you call home and what makes it special? A. I’m Exeter born and bred, so that’s easy. Exeter is a proper city but a stone’s throw away from the coast and moors. So, the best of all worlds for me. Q. What’s the best thing about Exeter? A. Exeter has so many different qualities, with modern shops plus the historical side such as the Cathedral, RAMM and the Quay. It’s got it all. Q. Where is your favourite place in Exeter? A. Down on the Quay on sunny days, ending at The Double Locks enjoying a cold beer. Q. Tell us about your new role at Southernhay House . . . A. Southernhay House hotel is really chic – in design and what we do. I started there when it opened, as sous chef. When head chef Chris left last year, I was offered the
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chance to take over – what a great challenge!
I have so many ideas: my bar menu with some classic comfort foods through the day (also found on the lunchtime prix fixe) and – my favourite – our seasonal evening dining menus for that touch of class. Evenings are my playtime. Q. What are the best and worst parts of your job? A. The worst is the unsociable hours that we put in. You have to love it to work it. The best is being able to create new and exciting dishes, especially with all the new toys out there. But the icing on the cake is a dining room full of happy guests – I think any chef would agree with me there. Q. What’s your all-time favourite dish to eat? A. It has to be my mother’s Sunday roast. She was my first inspiration, being a dab hand in the kitchen herself. I’ve taught my commis,
From top: Alex loves Exeter’s Quay; he likes the city’s mix of old and new; he adores The Jack
Harry, her secret weapon for our regular Sunday roast lunches at Southernhay. Q. How do you relax? A. Spending time with the other half with a glass of something in our hands to unwind. If I’ve been a good boy, she may even treat me to a facial and massage at her salon Body Language at Ironbridge (she deserves a plug for all the late nights). Q. Where do you enjoy eating out locally? A. On the rare occasions I go out, being a chef makes me hard to please, but my favourite haunts are, reliably, The Jack In The Green inn at Rockbeare and ODE Dining in Shaldon – both independents with inventive and award-winning chefs behind them with their desire to produce good local food with a fine touch. Q. Favourite local shops? A. Easy, as I use both of them in the kitchen and I like to wow the Mrs not only with food but with a lovely bunch of flowers. So it’s got to be Pipers Farm shop in Magdalen Road and Richard’s Greengrocers & Florists of Topsham. Q. What’s your guilty pleasure? A. If I’m honest, sharing a cheeky takeaway with Donna on a Sunday evening in front of the box when we can’t be bothered to do anything else. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? A. Probably the only thing that’s ever stuck in my head was when a former head chef said to me “welcome to the real world now – this isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle”, and he wasn’t wrong! Q. Surprise us . . . A. Come and eat in our restaurant and I will . . . *said with a cheeky chuckle* EL
www.southernhayhouse.com
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