“ 62
NONE OF US WERE REALLY SURE HOW IT WOULD WORK
WITH OUTSIDE EATING ONLY BUT SINCE WE REOPENED WE HAVE BEEN REALLY BUSY AND HAVE ALREADY DECIDED TO GO FROM JUST WEEKENDS TO DAILY AGAIN.
keep it simple although the Instagram-worthy images of his food suggest there is a lot more technicality to his cooking than he is letting on.
“Yes that’s true,” he laughs. “It’s hard to explain but I like to use just a few ingredients and really make them tasty.”
Part of his ethos is using quality seasonal and local ingredients and his talk at the food festival will reflect this. Over the years he has become quite a pro at giving these talks at various events and this is his second appearance at the Cheltenham festival.
“I found it quite nerve-wracking at first as you have to talk for 45 minutes to an hour but I quite enjoy it now. I write and demonstrate recipes which I think people can follow at home and it showcases some of our great suppliers. We are so lucky here in the Vale of Evesham.”
At the start of this year, the Wychwood decided to cease the takeaways they had been offering during lockdown giving Joe an unusual three month break, perfect timing as his second daughter was born late last year.
“I probably only really ate pizzas and burgers when I first started there. I didn’t eat fish at all but now I will eat anything,” he says.
Seeing the food produced by the top chefs at this restaurant gave him the desire to pursue cooking as a career for himself. “They used to grow a lot of their own veg and salad too and I would have to pick it from the garden and I really liked being hands on.”
Soon he was helping the chefs prepping the vegetables before enrolling on a catering and hospitality course at Gloucestershire College.
After a few years working there and then more travelling working at hotels and restaurants up and down the country, Joe returned to his native Cotswolds to take up a post at the Wychwood, formerly The Red Horse, first as second chef then head chef.
It’s perhaps unusual for a chef to stay in one place so long, but this family-run business suits him with the owners giving him a fairly free rein regarding menus and suppliers.
He describes his style as traditional British and says he likes to
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
“It was lovely to have some quality time with the family but I’m not one for sitting around doing nothing so I’ve actually been helping a friend building houses. I’m quite a practical person.”
“
LOCAL PEOPL E JOE MCCAR THY
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
