Spring has sprung. Outside, the sun is shining and the carpet of daffs and croci do much to cheer the soul and hint at the year that unfolds in front of us. This edition of Best of Chef looks back, however,


at some of our most popular articles in recent months, showcasing some of the restaurants you must make a detour to visit. In fact, come along to our forthcoming Chef Eats Out event and you can tick off at Fera at Claridge’s (more of that later). In our first article, we catch up with the talented


sibling operators Karam, Sunaina and Jyotin Sethi on their newest restaurant, Hoppers, a concept focused on Sri Lankan cuisine. We find out more about their burgeoning business, JKS Restaurants, and why they won the Independent Restaurateur of the Year Award at last year’s Cateys. Our first masterclass takes us to restaurant


sensation the Clove Club. Chef Isaac McHale shares his step-by-step approach to his red mullet dish, which requires the meticulous preparation of a fish that has been plucked from the Cornish waters just a few hours before. The ham produced by acorn-fed Iberian pigs is the most labour-intensive, most expensive and


the tastiest ham in the world – and a highlight for ham-lovers. Food, drink and travel writer Fiona Sims travelled to the Dehesa in Spain with chef José Pizarro to see where the revered pigs roam. In our second masterclass, Lyonnais chef Claude Bosi takes us through the creation of a dish of Hereforshire snails from his restaurant Hibiscus in Mayfair. Popped back in their shells snails present well; out of them they are more challenging, and it takes an exceptional chef to make six charcoal-coloured nuggets eye-catching. We head south-west to Cornwall to take a look at the Stein empire, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Now, supported by their three sons, Rick and Jill Stein are united in driving forward the family business and are entering a new era of expansion. Finally, we celebrate the return of Chef Eats


Out this year with an incredible offer at Fera at Claridge’s. Please join us and our partners Udale Speciality Foods on 11 April to sample the culinary wizardry of chef Simon Rogan with your fellow chefs for an absolute bargain price. You will find more details on page 42.


Editor


The Caterer www.thecaterer.com


4 Three enterprise How the sibling founders of JKS Restaurants built their empire


14 Mullet over The Clove Club’s Isaac McHale gives a raw red mullet masterclass


22 Animal magic The acorn-fed Iberian pigs that create the world’s best ham


26 Slow cooking Herefordshire snails, burrata and bordelaise by Claude Bosi


34 Branching out The Stein empire spreads its wings


42 Chef Eats Out at Fera Book your place for dinner now


4 22 26


34 www.thecaterer.com March 2016 | Best of Chef | 3


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