Tell us about your journey to The Castle Hotel. You must get asked a lot about your time at the Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant in Paris?
After Gidleigh Park I wanted a challenge so Michael Caines lined me up a stage in Gagnaires. I worked there for ten days and got offered a job. It hasn’t been out of the top 20 restaurants in the world for 10 years and the food was a bit out there and wacky but I liked the combinations. I opted out of Gagnaires and chose to go to work in the Bath Priory as Michael Caines was re-launching it and wanted me there.
Gagnaire talks regularly about his continual aim to reveal both emotion and intelligence in his cuisine, is this something you have taken into your style of cooking? I took a lot from that place even though it was only for one week, the main thing being to understand and respect cuisine and believe in yourself and what you do. I went over there with little-to-no French and by the final two days I was running the appetiser section. Cooking is universal and there are no barriers, not even language! The chefs had a lot of flair and passion and tended not to complicate flavours in comparison to Irish and British Chefs; I think we try too hard and spend too much time worrying about the plate rather than the palate.
How would you describe your cooking style? Oh god, I dread this question! In cooking terms my understanding and methods are classical, however my execution and delivery would be modern. I enjoy a positive, fun working environment. Cooking is born out of passion and fun, not stress and tears. Our kitchen is a
positive creative area where every chef has a say.
How have the menus at The Castle changed since you took over as Head Chef?
Every menu has been changed, it was a big over haul but made easy by the support of the team. It was also made easier by previous great chefs that implemented organisation, discipline, planning and basic standard operating procedures.
“I was brought up living off the land so using local seasonal produce is natural to me”
Is there a defining influence behind your menus? Mother Nature’s larder and the seasons. I have always taken care in writing my menus and I’ve always used local and seasonal produce. I work closely with Dominic Chapman (The Royal Oak, one Michelin star) who is on the board of directors. He told me “Writing a menu is as much of a skill as cooking itself. You can tell a lot about a chef from just reading their menu. A menu should be a thing of beauty, well balanced and exciting for the person reading it. It should have a wonderful choice of interesting seasonal ingredients that blend together in harmony”.
So locality is also important? Hugely: I was brought up living off the land so using local seasonal produce is natural to me. Kit Chapman, the proprietor, has always been a pioneer of using local and seasonal ingredients. I know it might make him sound old, but he’s been banging the drum for 40 years and drilling seasonality into some of the top chefs that have graced the Castle. On my second day here Kit called me in to his office and gave me his ethos on food – it was one I very much agreed with.
On that note, previous Head Chefs at the historic Castle Hotel include Phil Vickery, Gary Rhodes and Richard Guest. How do you regard yourself amongst such established predecessors?
It’s flattering to think I’m even mentioned in the same sentence as those names. For me it’s all about a team effort, but obviously there’s a spearhead to the operation. I tend not to look to the past, more to the future, but you can’t help it with our reputation and history.
Tell us about a couple of your favoured suppliers, you work with some characters?
I have some amazing suppliers, a list of whom is on the kitchen blog. Rob Waldron of Pitney Farm shop is fantastic and it’s a great place to visit. Malcolm Pyne (of Pyne’s of Somerset) is a great character and I have found his meat to be top quality. He’s great with the customers, a fantastic butcher and even better, a real charmer!
What are you most looking forward to cooking this month? Fresh rhubarb and sprouting broccoli. The wild salmon season also begins which is very exciting.
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