Chef

The Journal for Chefs

throughout the world

w w w. c h e f p u b l i s h i n g . c o m
Talk to the chef

Martin
Wishart
Steve
Plotnicki
Mouth
Almighty
Living Legend The
Wolfgang Chocolate
Puck issue
2016 Issue 46 £5.00
 Jeremy Ford Martin Nisbit
Frederick Forster Patrick O’Connell
Sarah Frankland Jan Ostle
Eric Frechon Nathan Outlaw
Pierre Gagnaire Anne-Sophie Pic
Daniel Galmiche David Pitchford
Chris Galvin Theo Randall
Andre Garret Neil Rankin
David Girard Shaun Rankin
Frédy Girardet René Redzepi
Brett Graham Gary Rhodes
Paul Wayne Gregory Massimo Riccioli
Anna Hansen Eric Ripert
Matt Hay Jordi Roca
Paul Heathcote Olivier Roellinger
Jocelyn Herland Simon Rogan
Ruth Hinks Alain Roux
Mark Hix Albert Roux
limited edition / 1000 copies / £100 Phil Howard Michel Roux
Daniel Humm Michel Roux jr
Rachel Humphrey Mark Sargeant
Gary Hunter Antony Scholtmeyer
The chefs appearing in the Chef Book Yoshinori Ishii Germain Schwab
Margot Janse Julie Sharp
Tom Aikins Martin Burge Mark Jordan Richard Shepherd
Yannick Alléno Aiden Byrne Thomas Keller Adam Simmonds
Andreas Antona Michael Caines Paul Kelly Clare Smyth
Jason Atherton John Campbell Atul Kotcher Vivek Singh
Kenny Atkinson Jonathan Cartwright Nico Ladenis Yolande Stanley
Sat Bains Jimmy Chamlong Eric Lanlard Adam Stokes
Esben Holmboe Bang Martin Chiffers Arnaud Larher Nathan Thomas
Sarah Barber Daniel Clifford Alvin Leung Phil Thompson
Russell Bateman Richard Corrigan Giorgio Locatelli Mark Tilling
Heinz Beck Régis Crépy James Lowe Ben Tish
Alistair Birt Luke Dale-Roberts Thierry Marx Tony Tobin
Galton Blackiston Hélène Darroze Nobuyuki Matsuhisa Cyrus Todiwala
Raymond Blanc Steve Drake Colin McGurran Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Benoit Blin Thierry Dumouchel Jeremy McMillan Marcus Wareing
Paul Bocuse Beverley Dunkley Nuno Mendes Marco Pierre White
Simon Boyle Mark Edwards Yasuhiro Mineno Marc Wilkinson
Claude Bosi David Everitt-Matthias Ramon Morató Alyn Williams
Henry Brosi Andrew Fairlie Anton Mosimann John Williams
Jeremy Brown Peter Fiori Richard Neat Martin Wishart
This book is a treasure-trove of great food.
A veritable anthology of some of the world’s best
chefs and their recipes including Paul Bocuse,
the Roux family, Anton Mosimann and Thomas
Keller and many of the new stars of today such as
Sat Bains, Jason Atherton and Daniel Humm. In
total there are 118 chefs featured in this amazing
collection. The photography is a work of art and the
recipes are as diverse as the chefs featured.
This book has been produced to celebrate the
40th issue of “Chef Magazine”, a testament to the
dedication and professionalism of the magazine. My
wish would be that every cook worth his salt should
buy a copy, look at it, study it and cherish it.
We have become a nation of food lovers.
Books, magazines, newspapers, television and the
media in general cannot get a big enough “bite” of
this phenomenon.
Today I am merely a spectator but I would like to think
that I was in the vanguard of this culinary adventure.
Looking back, in the seventies, it was like walking
through a dark forest. Though I acknowledge that
some of the chefs featured in this wonderful book
are at the “cutting edge” of this revolution, it does not
preclude me from saying that I cannot endorse some
of the excesses.
When you study this book, you will come to realise that
contributions of this kind cost precious time and money.
I would therefore like to extend a big thank you to the
men and women who contributed so generously.
nico ladenis

book available at
w w w. c h e f p u b l i s h i n g . c o m
 Contents
Talk to the Chef
Martin Wishart............................................... 08

Industry Topic
Mouth Almighty Steve Plotnicki......... 14

OAD
top 200.............................................................. 18

Living Legend
Wolfgang Puck.............................................. 20

Tried and Tested

The QSM mark for Beef and Lamb.... 24

Country Profile
Carbon Free cooking in Thailand....... 28

Ganache
David Girard shares some recipes.... 34

The White Table

• 100% pure white porcelain, finely Featured Plate Botanique - part of the
polished, hand-glazed and fired Chef Plates Collection of Tableware
up to 1400º
• Ovenproof (300º-575F), microwave,
dishwasher and freezer safe
• Stackable and easy handling
• Non-porous, made without toxic
substances or heavy metals www.thewhitetable.co.uk jerry@thewhitetable.co.uk

www.thewhitetable.co.uk jerry@thewhitetable.co.uk 0044 (0) 1296-395254 | 0044 (0) 7858-185577

2
Ganache
Escoffier evolves.......................................... 40

Ganache
Simon Jenkins talks
about Felchlin................................................. 42

Ingredient
Marguerite........................................................ 46

Ingredient
Chocolate.......................................................... 48

Ingredient
Lobster Oil........................................................ 50

Meet The Supplier

Artis Tableware............................................. 52

Tried and Tested

The Mighty Josper....................................... 57

In The Kitchen
Japanese Knives.......................................... 62

In The kitchen
Flooring.............................................................. 67

Book review.................................................... 69

Front of House
Bulgarian Wine.............................................. 74

News.................................................................... 78

3
 Recipes
Martin Wishart
Langoustine Ravioli ................................... 13
Wolfgang Puck
Kobe Cheese Burgers................................ 23
David Girard
Garden Basket, The Palet,
Tanzania Chocolate.................................... 36
Simon Jenkins
bolivia 68%, lemon,
chocolate entremet..................................... 45
Classic Fine Foods
The Forbidden Fruit.................................... 47
Classic Fine Foods
Nicholas Riveau............................................ 49
Cherish Finden
Groix et Nature.............................................. 51
Chris Brennan
Arozz al Carbon............................................. 60
Carmelo
Golden Macaron............................................ 70

chef magazine Chef Media Ltd Photography sales

Network House 28 Peter Marshall email: peter@chefpublishing.com
Ballmoore Celtic Court Geoff Dann
Buckingam MK 18 1RQ Kuma Masahi Contributors
Tel: 44 20 7097 1396 Steve Lee Namai Bishop
Francesco Tonelli Simon Jenkins
For general enquiries regarding Chef Magazine Nico Ladenis
email: peter@chefpublishing.com Designer, art editor Andy Lynes
Zoran Simonovski Josh Sims
Accounts and Administration movedesign@graphic-designer.com Jean Smullen
Lesya Grebenyuk Regis Crepy
Andrew Scott
publisher
Calum Donoghue
Peter Marshall
SSGT Simon Jeffries

www.chefpublishing.com
Michelin-starred Restaurants
A l i s t o f t h e U K a n d Ir e l a n d ’ s M i c h e l i n - s t arr e d r e s t aura n t s
L’enclume Kai Trishna Morston The Neptune Inverlochy Castle


London
Alain Ducasse
at the Dorchester
Jocelyn Herland EXCLUSIVE_HOTELS/
www.alainducasse-
dorchester.com
Gordon Ramsay www.knockinaamlodge.
Clare Smyth com
www.gordonramsay.com/
royalhospitalroad
England
The Waterside Inn
Alain Roux & Fabrice Uhryn
www.waterside-inn.co.uk
Simon Rogan
www.lenclume.co.uk
Michael Wignall at
The Latymer
Michael Wignall
www.pennyhillpark.co.uk/
eating_and_drinking/
the_latymer.aspx
england
Andrew Fairlie at
Gleneagles
Andrew Fairlie
www.gleneagles.com
eire La Trompete
Patrick Guilbaud
Alex Chow
www.kaimayfair.co.uk
Kitchen Table at
Karam Sethi
www.trishnalondon.com
Umu
Norfolk
Galton Blackiston
www.morstonhall.com
Kevin Mangeolles
www.theneptune.co.uk
The Nut Tree
Philip Carnegie
www.
inverlochycastlehotel.com
Bubbledogs Yoshinori Ishii Mr Underhill’s at Mike North Kinlock Lodge
James Knappett www.umurestaurant.com Dinham Weir www.nuttreeinn.co.uk Marcello Tully
www.kitchentablelondon. W1 Restaurant Chris Bradley The Park (at Lucknam www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk
co.uk Paul Welburn www.mr-underhills.co.uk Park Hotel)
Knockinaam Lodge
Kitchen W8 www.guoman.com Northcote
Tony Pierce
Mark Kempson Wild Honey Nigel Haworth Hywel Jones
www.kitchenw8.com Anthony Demetre www.northcote.com www.lucknampark.co.uk
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon www.wildhoneyrestaurant. Ockenden Manor The Pass
Oliver Limousin Martin Wishart
co.uk Stephen Crane Matt Gillan
www.joelrobuchon.co.uk/ Martin Wishart
Yauatcha www.hshotels.co.uk/ www.southlodgehotel.
L’Atelier Cheong Wah Soon ockenden-manor-hotel- co.uk/EXCLUSIVE.../ www.martin-wishart.co.uk
L’autre Pied www.yauatcha.com and-spa/dining the_pass restaurant-martin-wishart/
Andy McFadden Old Vicarage The Pipe & Glass Inn home
www.lautrepied.co.uk England Tessa Bramley James Mackenzie Martin Wishart at
www.theoldvicarage.co.uk www.pipeandglass.co.uk Loch Lomond
Anthony Boyd 5 North Street Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen The Royal Oak Graeme Cheevers

 Guillaume Lebrun www.latrompette.co.uk Marcus Ashenford Nathan Outlaw Dom Chapman www.martin-wishart.co.uk
www.restaurantpatrick Launceston Place www.5northstreet www.outlaws.co.uk www. Number One (at The
Timothy Allen restaurant.co.uk Paris House theroyaloakpaleystreet.
London guilbaud.ie
www.launcestonplace- Adam’s Phil Fanning com
Balmoral Hotel)
Jeff Bland


restaurant.co.uk Adam Stokes www.parishouse.co.uk The Samling
Darroze at www.thebalmoralhotel.
Lima www.adamsrestaurant. Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 Ian Swainson
The Connaught com/dining
Robert Ortiz co.uk Paul Ainsworth www.thesamlinghotel.
Hélène Darroze London www.number6inpadstow. co.uk Sangster’s
www.limalondon.com Adam Simmonds at
www.the-connaught.co.uk/ The Sportsman Bruce Sangster
Locanda Locatelli Danesfield House co.uk
mayfair-restaurants-bars Alyn Williams at www.sangsters.co.uk
Giorgio Locatelli Adam Simmonds Pony & Trap Stephen Harris
Dinner by Heston The Westbury www.danesfieldhouse. The Albannach
www.locandalocatelli.com Josh Eggleton www.thesports
Blumenthal Alyn Williams co.uk
Lyle’s www.theponyandtrap. manseasalter.co.uk Colin Craig & Lesley
Ashley Palmer-Watts www.alynwilliams.co.uk Alimentum
James Lowe co.uk The Stagg Inn Crosfield
www.dinnerbyheston.com Amaya Mark Poynton
lyleslondon.com Purnell’s Steve Reynolds www.thealbannach.co.uk
Greenhouse Karunesh Khanna www.
Murano Glynn Purnell www.thestagg.co.uk The Kitchin
Arnaud Bignon www.amaya.biz restaurantalimentum.co.uk
Angela Hartnett www.purnellsrestaurant. The Star Inn Tom Kitchin
www. Ametsa with Arzak Apicius
greenhouserestaurant. www.muranolondon.com com Andrew Pern www.thekitchin.com
Instruction at Halkin Hotel Tim Johnson
co.uk Outlaw’s at the Capital Raby Hunt www.thestaratharome. The Peat Inn
Elena Arzak www.restaurant-apicius. co.uk
Hibiscus Nathan Outlaw co.uk www.rabyhuntrestaurant. Geoffrey Smeddle
www.comohotels.com co.uk The Terrace (at the
Claude Bosi www.capitalhotel.co.uk Bath Priory www.thepeatinn.co.uk
Angler at South Place Hotel Red Lion Freehouse Montagu Arms)
www.hibiscusrestaurant. Petrus Sam Moody The Three Chimneys
Tony Fleming Sean Burbidge Guy Manning Matthew Tomkinson
co.uk www.thebathpriory.co.uk Michael Smith
www.southplacehotel.com www.gordonramsay.com/ www.redlionfreehouse. www.montaguarmshotel.
Le Gavroche Box Tree www.threechimneys.co.uk
Arbutus petrus com co.uk/terrace_restaurant
Michel Roux Jr Simon Gueller
Anthony Demetre Pied a Terre Restaurant Tristan The Treby Arms
www.le-gavroche.co.uk www.arbutusrestaurant. Marcus Eaves
www.theboxtree.co.uk
Tristan Mason Anton Piotrowski WALES
co.uk Butchers Arms
Marcus Wareing at www.pied-a-terre.co.uk www.thetrebyarms.co.uk
Barrafina James Winter
The Berkeley Pollen Street Social www.restauranttristan. The West House Crown at Whitebrook
Nieves Barragán Mohacho www.thebutchersarms.net
Marcus Wareing Jason Atherton co.uk Graham Garrett Chris Harrod
www.barafina.co.uk Bybrook
www.marcus-wareing.com www.pollenstreetsocial. Room in the Elephant www.thewesthouse www.crownatwhitebrook.
Richard Davies
Sketch (The Lecture Room Benares com Simon Hulstone restaurant.co.uk co.uk
www.manorhouse.co.uk
& Library) Atul Kochhar Portland www.elephantrestaurant. The Yorke Arms The Checkers
Casamia
Pierre Gagnaire www.benaresrestaurant. Merlin Labron-Johnson co.uk Frances Atkins Stéphane Borie
Jonray & Peter Sanchez
www.sketch.uk.com com portlandrestaurant.co.uk Sienna www.yorke-arms.co.uk
www.casamiarestaurant. www.
The Araki Bonhams Quilon co.uk Russell Brown Turners thecheckersmontgomery.
Mitsuhiro Araki Tom Kemble Sriram Aylur Chapter One Richard Turner co.uk
the-araki.com bonhams.com www.quilon.co.uk www.siennarestaurant. www.turnersrestaurant
Andrew Mcleish The Walnut Tree
The Ledbury Brasserie Chavot Seven Place Park at co.uk birmingham.co.uk
www.chaptersrestaurants. Shaun Hill
Brett Graham Eric Chavot St James’ Hotel and Club Simon Radley at the Wilks
com www.thewalnuttreeinn.
www.theledbury.com www.brasseriechavot.com William Drabble Chester Grosvenor James Wilkins
Curlew com
The Square Simon Radley www.wilksrestaurant.co.uk
Chez Bruce www.stjameshotelandclub. Andrew Scott
Phil Howard www.chestergrosvenor. Tyddyn Llan
Bruce Poole com www.thecurlewrestaurant.
www.squarerestaurant. www.chezbruce.co.uk Social Eating House co.uk
com/simon-radley- JERSEY Bryan Webb
com restaurant www.tyddynllan.co.uk
City Social Jason Atherton Drakes
The Umu Simpsons Ocean House at Atlantic Ynyshir Hall
Jason Atherton www.socialeatinghouse. Steve Drake
Yoshinori Ishii Luke Tipping Gareth Ward
www.citysociallondon.com com www.drakesrestaurant. Mark Jordan
umurestaurant.com www.simpsonsrestaurant.
Club Gascon St John co.uk www.theatlantichotel.com www.ynyshirhall.co.uk
co.uk
Pascal Aussignac Chris Gillard Driftwood Bohemia (at The Club Hotel
England Sir Charles Napier
www.clubgascon.com www.stjohnrestaurant.com Chris Eden Chris Godfrey
& Spa) EIRE
Dabbous St John Hotel www.driftwoodhotel.co.uk Steve Smith
www.sircharlesnapier.
Midsummer House Tom Harris Fischer’s at Baslow Hall www.bohemiajersey.com Aniar
Ollie Dabbous co.uk
Daniel Clifford 020 3301 8020 Rupert Rowley Ormer by Shaun Rankin
www.midsummerhouse. www.dabbous.co.uk Thackeray’s Enda McEvoy
www.stjohnrestaurant.com www.fischers-baslowhall. Richard Phillips www.ormerjersey.com
co.uk Fera at Claridge’s www.aniarrestaurant.ie
Story co.uk www.thackerays- Tassili at the Grand Hotel
Gidleigh Park Michael Simon Rogan Bon Appetit
Tom Sellers Fraiche restaurant.co.uk Richard Allen
Caines www. www.feraatclaridges.co.uk Oliver Dunne
www.restaurantstory.co.uk Mark Wilkinson The Black Rat Winchester, www.grandjersey.com/
gidleigh.com Galvin at Windows www.bonappetit.ie
Tamarind www.restaurantfraiche. Hampshire Jamie grand-jersey/tassili
Le Champignon Sauvage André Garrett com Campagne
David Everitt-Matthias Alfred Prasad Stapleton-Burns
www.galvinatwindows.
www. com www.tamarindrestaurant. Hambleton Hall 01962 844465 SCOTLAND Garrett Byrne
com Aaron Patterson www.theblackrat.co.uk www.campagne.ie
lechampignonsauvage. Galvin La Chapelle
co.uk Texture www.hambletonhall.com The Black Swan 21212 Chapter One
Jeff Galvin Hinds Head
Whatley Manor Agnar Sverrisson Adam Jackson Paul Kitching Ross Lewis
www.galvinrestaurants. Kevin Love
Martin Burge www.texture-restaurant. www.blackswanoldstead. www.21212restaurant.co.uk www.
com www.hindsheadbray.com
www.whatleymanor.com co.uk co.uk Boath House chapteronerestaurant.com
Gymkhana Holbeck Ghyll David
Le Manoir aux The Dining Room at The Cross at Kenilworth Charlie Lockley House (at Cliff House Hotel)
Karam Sethi the Goring McLaughlin
Quat’Sainsons Adam Bennett www.boath-house.com Martijn Kajuiter
www.hakkasan.com Shay Cooper www.holbeckghyll.com Braidwoods
Gary Jones www.thecrosskenilworth. www.thecliffhousehotel.
Hakkasan thegoring.com JSW co.uk Nicola Braidwood
www.manoir.com com
Tong Chee Hwee The Clove Club Jake Saul Watkins The Glasshouse www.braidwoods.co.uk
Restaurant Nathan Outlaw L’Ecrivain
www.hakkasan.com Isaac McHale www.jswrestaurant.com Daniel Mertl Castle Terrace
Nathan Outlaw Derry Clarke
www.nathan-outlaw.com/ Hakkasan Hanway Place www.thecloveclub.com L’Ortolan www. Dominic Jack
Tong Chee Hwee Nick Chappell glasshouserestaurant.co.uk www.lecrivain.com
nathan-outlaw-restaurant The Harwood Arms www.
Restaurant Sat Bains www.hakkasan.com Barry Fitzgerald www.lortolan.com The Harrow at castleterracerestaurant. Lady Helen at Mount
Sat Bains Hedone www.harwoodarms.com Lords of the Manor Little Bedwyn Roger Jones com Juliet Hotel
www.restaurantsatbains. Mikael Jonsson The River Café Richard Picard-Edwards www.theharrowat Glenapp Castle Cormac Rowe
com www.hedonerestaurant. Rose Gray www.lordsofthemanor.com littlebedwyn.com Adam Stokes www.mountjuliet.ie
The Hand and Flowers com www.rivercafe.co.uk Manor House Hotel & The Mason Arms www.glenappcastle.com Thornton’s (at The
Tom Kerridge HKK Tom Aikens Restaurant Golf Club Mark Dodson Isle of Eriska Fitzwilliam Hotel)
www.thehandandflowers. Tong Chee Hwee Tom Aikens Richard Davies www.masonsarmsdevon. Ross Stovold Kevin Thornton
co.uk www.hkklondon.com www.tomaikens.co.uk www.manorhouse.co.uk co.uk www.eriska-hotel.co.uk www.fitzwilliamhotel.com

6
Ta l k t o t h e ch e f : by Bernice Saltzer

Martin
Wishart
Martin Wishart is not a man to be hurried. His philosophy on life is that
there’s a right time for everything – and he absolutely doesn’t mind
waiting until that time comes. In a world where most people act at breakneck
speed and want everything done yesterday, his attitude is one which is completely
refreshing. And it also happens to be one that clearly works for him, as the
successes of his burgeoning food empire continue to stack up.

8
9
 H
is flagship Michelin-starred restaurant,
situated at Leith, outside Edinburgh,
right by the river (chosen partly
because it evoked strong memories of
his time in Amsterdam) is the epitome of
elegance.
Restaurant Martin Wishart – so named
because one of the few bits of marketing
advice he’s ever taken was to call it after
himself – is understated and stylish.
Light wood walls, elegant art deco-inspired
lighting and – as you would expect – pristine
white tablecloths, are the perfect backdrop
for awe-inspiring tasting menus, which
include one devoted entirely to seafood and a
highly acclaimed vegetarian offering.
Looking around the restaurant now, it’s a
far cry from its previous incarnation when
Martin initially took that step to work under
his own name.
“I had been cycling around Edinburgh for
months, looking for the perfect venue,” he
recalls.
“I felt the time was right for me to open my
own restaurant and I just kept looking until I
found somewhere that I knew would be the
place.”
He admits that part of the appeal was “that
the building was council-owned so the rent
was only £500,” an important factor given
that the chef had only £7000 – his entire life
savings – to get the former Italian restaurant
off the ground. It hadn’t always been that way, of course, and he became chef de partie at the famous
Friends and family chipped in to paint and Martin admits he fell into a career in food. Cameron House at Loch Lomond and at
decorate, with the restaurant opening using “When I was about 12 I started to think about Braveal Old Mill, working under the watchful
the rustic chairs and tables which Martin making money and I started selling ad spaces eye of Nick Nairn.
inherited from the previous owner. on leaflets for local businesses,” he said. On the move yet again, Martin went to
“We had the minimum of equipment,” he says That entrepreneurial spirit started to move London and started his long relationship with
with a laugh. into a different direction when, at the age of the Roux family, as first commis de cuisine at
“We had no hot plate, a mixer which I 15, he joined a YTS scheme, which saw him Le Gavroche.
borrowed from my mother and a blender she work in the kitchen of a local hotel. His food knowledge was also honed through
lent us as well. The teenage Martin was inspired, discovering stints in the USA –“where I also learned a lot
“I remember it finally packed in about six months a love for food which has never wavered. about front of house” – and working under
later, I don’t think I’ve ever replaced it for her! It also started a love affair with local the guidance of such eminent chefs as John
“What I did buy however – which I still to this ingredients from his native Scotland. Burton Race and Marco Pierre White.
day think is one of the most important things “My family were from the Shetlands and we “Working in this industry is all about doing
a chef needs – was the very best pots and liked to cook with the things that we could long hours but nobody should enter this
pans I could afford.” get locally,” he said. profession if they are not prepared to put the
At that point Martin didn’t even have a Determined that food was now going to be his hours in,” he said.
home, instead finding himself and his- career, Martin realised that he would need to “There are young people coming into the
then girlfriend now wife, sofa surfing at his travel to gain as much experience as he could. industry who aren’t always prepared to do
brother’s. He started to learn his craft at various that and they need to know this is not an easy
“We didn’t even have menus printed, I just restaurants across Scotland, but at the age of job, that you have to do the time if you want
stuck a piece of A4 paper in the window with 19, the travel bug was beginning to bite and to get anywhere.”
the menu on.” Martin decided to head to Australia, working Of his own time spent working with some of
But what drove him on was the fact that his in restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne and the the biggest names in the industry he says,
whole career to date had been geared to this North East of the country to supplement his “they were fantastic experiences, particularly
point, that he would one day own his own travels – and his skills. working in a three Michelin star restaurant.”
restaurant. On his return to Scotland in the early 1990s Martin then worked in Amsterdam in a five

10 Ta l k t o t h e c h e f b y B e r n i c e S a l t z e r

star hotel on behalf of his old mentor, Albert
Roux, before deciding it was time to come
back to the UK.
“Marco told me that Rocco Forte was opening
a new brasserie at the Balmoral Hotel,”
recalled Martin.
“And I realised that not only would this be
a good opportunity, but because I was still
determined when the time was right to open
up a place in Edinburgh, this would also be a
good way to meet suppliers.”
In 1999 the moment finally arrived – the
feeling that the time was finally right for
Martin to open his own restaurant.
“Our starting prices were around £6 for a
starter and about £14 for a main course and
I was a little worried because there wasn’t
really a fine dining culture in Edinburgh at
that time,” he revealed.
“It was hairy for the first couple of weeks and
then we started to get fantastic word-of-mouth
and the bookings just started to flood in.”
So at what point did he realise that Restaurant
Martin Wishart was indeed a success?
“When we had a six month waiting list for
tables on a Saturday night,” he said.
According to Martin, location is all important
for any chef wanting to branch out on their
own – and it’s worth being patient until that
perfect spot can be found.
“I could have launched my own restaurant
much earlier but it needed to be the right
place and that’s the best advice you could
give any chef,” he said.
Inevitably however opportunities started
to come Martin’s way – the chance to open
up a restaurant at his old stomping ground,
Cameron House hotel, where the only proviso
was “that I got them a Michelin star.”
He did just that in little over two years and
other restaurants followed, Honours, a more
casual brasserie style eatery in Edinburgh and
then, in 2014, a sister restaurant in Glasgow.
What hasn’t followed however –through
Martin’s choice – was the temptation of a
television career.
Requests for appearances on everything from
Masterchef to Saturday Kitchen have been
politely declined.
“That’s not really what I’m about,” he said.
“Luckily the restaurants are successful so I
don’t need to have that kind of career. I’m not
saying it’s a bad thing, it’s just that wasn’t a
route I wanted to take.”
Martin wants to be in his kitchen, with his
dedicated brigade of staff, many of whom
have been with him for years.
What has also never changed is his passion
for first class ingredients, most of which are
locally sourced and supplied.
He has also developed a very healthy outside
catering operation, enjoying the challenge of
cooking everywhere from Singapore to New
York.
“Those kind of events are huge logistically
but incredibly satisfying,” he said.
“And it also helps us develop an
internationally recognised reputation.”
Wherever he travels in the world, there’s no
doubt that his heart remains in Scotland and
the rich bounty the region produces makes
endless appearances on his menu.
Langoustines, scallops from Orkney, roe deer
– all find their way on to the Wishart table.
“To me sauces are so important,” added the
chef.
“A little splash of a spectacular sauce can
absolutely elevate a dish.”
At the same time however, following the food
trends of “de jour” largely leave him cold.
“I don’t need to go the markets and pick
ingredients and I don’t need to go foraging,
many of the ingredients we use have been
foraged anyway,” said Martin.
“And I’m not massively keen on flowers on
dishes, although occasionally it’s a nice
touch.”
His training means that Martin much prefers
classic, French cooking techniques – braising,
confiting, poaching and steaming.
Currently he’s also experimenting with
elevating Mexican style street food which will
be finding a place on his new season menu.
A Mexican favourite involving sweetcorn,
crème fraiche, lime and chilli is being given
the Wishart touch, while at the same time
he is also putting the final touches on a new
scallop dish using a Japanese vinegar.
Each dish is developed with a passion and an
attention to the detail which has no doubt played
some part in helping Martin grow his business.
He’s currently in talks about extending his
empire in the Middle East, but, of course, only
if the time is right.
Did he ever think when he opened his
restaurant that he would become such a
success?
“I’m not really a dreamer, I tend not to
look back, although of course it is nice to
occasionally to think about what we’ve
done,” he said.
“But really for me, it’s all about looking
forward.”
11
 Recipe by Martin Wishart

LANGOUSTINE RAVIOLI
BRAISED ORANGE ENDIVE & LANGOUSTINE JUS

Braised endive
Serves 4

I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 300g finely sliced endive
●● 60g un-salted butter
●● 35g castor sugar
●● 1 tsp. sherry vinegar
●● Juice from 1 orange

m e th o d
1. Melt the butter in a pan; add the endive
& sauté for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the sugar, as it starts to caramelise
add the sherry vinegar then the orange
juice.
3. Cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes or until
the liquid has reduced by ⅔, remove the
pan from the heat and set aside.
Ravioli
I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 1.5kg live langoustines
●● 200g fresh pasta dough
m e th o d
1. Separate the tails from the langoustine
head (keep the heads and claws for
the stock); remove the intestine track
from the tails by gently pulling away the
central tail fin.
2. Drop the tails into a pan of heavily
salted water for 10 seconds then remove
immediately onto a tray to cool.
3. Peel away the shells, and then chop the
tails to form a course filling.
4. Roll out a fine sheet of pasta & cut out
12 discs 8-10cm wide, Place a spoonful
of chopped langoustine in the centre,
brush the edge of the pasta with a little
water & fold over to form a air-tight
parcel.
Langoustine stock 4. Return the pan to the heat; add the
butter and the chopped vegetables and
I NG R E D I EN T S sauté for 3-4 minutes.
●● 1kg fresh langoustine heads and claws 5. Add the star anis, fennel seeds and
●● 1 onion, peeled and cut into 2cm coriander seeds to the pan.
dice 6. Pour in the white wine and reduce this
●● 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm to a glaze.
dice 7. Put the langoustine heads back into the
●● 3 sticks of celery, cut into 2cm dice pot and crush them with a rolling pin.
●● 200ml white wine 8. Add the fish stock, tomatoes and garlic
●● ½ tsp fennel seeds cut in half.
●● 2 ripe tomatos 9. Allow this to boil for 30- minutes or until
●● 2 star anise the liquid has reduced by ⅔.
●● 2 litres fish stock 10. Remove from the heat and allow the
●● 1 tsp coriander seeds stock to rest for 1 hour before passing
●● 1 bulb of garlic through fine sieve.
●● 100ml olive oil 11. Discard the langoustine heads and chill
●● 50g unsalted butter the stock, or freeze until ready to use.
12. To finish the Sauce for this dish, whisk in
m e th o d some extra virgin olive oil to taste.
1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan
on a high heat until almost smoking. To Serve
2. Add the langoustine heads and sauté
for 4-5 minutes until they start to Cook the raviolis in boiling salted water
caramelise golden brown. for 60 seconds. Serve with the braised endive
3. Remove the pan from the heat, place & the langoustine sauce.
the langoustine heads into a colander
and put to one side.

12
I ndustr y T o p i c by Andy Lynes

MouthSteve
Plotnicki

Almighty

14
 For two decades, media mogul and gourmet Steve Plotnicki has been
an online foodie voice to reckon with. Now he’s taking on Michelin and
the World’s 50 Best with his own Opinionated About fine dining guide. Andy Lynes
(a former internet adversary of Plotnicki’s) listens to the mouth that roared.

A
s Clint Eastwood so eloquently put it in
the 1980 movie The Dead Pool ‘Opinions
are like assholes. Everybody has one’.
That was in the pre-internet age; imagine what
Eastwood’ hard bitten cop Harry Callahan would
have to say about today’s constant 140 character
cacophony. But there’s one straight talking,
shoot-from-the-hip online commentator that
Dirty Harry might have some time for. Founder
of hip hop label Profile Records that signed Run
DMC and owner of the Robot Wars TV format,
Brooklyn-born Steve Plotnicki has been telling
his fellow foodies, chefs and restaurateurs
exactly how it is (or at least how he sees it)
since the late nineties when he was a regular
contributor to the then popular Chowhound.com
and egullet.org food forums.
And it was as a founding affiliate of
egullet that I first encountered Plotnicki.
One of my duties was to moderate the
discussion boards, identifying ‘trolls’
and trying to prevent the lengthy, heated
exchanges between contributors (‘flame
wars’ as they are known) that became
a defining characteristic of all internet
forums. Plotnicki found himself at the
centre of many such exchanges and
eventually decided it would be better if he
was the one making the rules.
Opinionated About Dining
(opinionatedaboutdining.com) was born
in 2003 serving what Plotnicki calls the
‘destination dining community’ i.e. the
(usually) wealthy group of people who fly
around the world dining at the world’s best
restaurants. He took with him a number of
eGullet’s most loyal contributors and the
move put us either side of an internet spat
that divided the online foodie community.
If you dig deep enough on eGullet, you’ll
still find a flavour of what made Plotnicki so
divisive, but all of his most incendiary posts
have disappeared (I know because I removed
most of them myself). But if you want to see
Plotnicki at his controversial best, watch the
documentary feature film Foodies, where
he squares off with New York chef Wylie
Dufresne over a dish of foie gras and anchovy
that Plotnicki calls ‘the worst dish in culinary
history’. For further evidence of his no holds
barred style, check out his blog post titled
‘The Strange Case of Alex Stupak’ where he
accuses the former high end New York pastry
chef of walking away from his craft because
he opened a Mexican restaurant. Stupak’s

15
 response was to publicly accuse Plotnicki of
‘ignorance and careless writing’.
‘Most of the time the response from
the chefs is a character attack and it doesn’t
necessarily go to the merits of my criticism.
Some chefs have egos and they won’t allow
the guest to make a recommendation, and
some chefs are open because they think of it as
a more interactive experience,’ says Plotnicki.
‘Stupak used the opportunity to start a big
online fight with me. It’s great that he does
well but no one from the destination dining
community really visits his restaurants. He
wanted to get attention from people who aren’t
really into food’.
Diplomatic he certainly isn’t and when we
were on opposite sides of the fence, that made
things somewhat difficult between us. Now
I’ve transitioned from hobby-ist writer to full
time journalist and left the tribal complications
of policing food forums behind, it’s far easier
to see Plotnicki as a breath of provocative,
mischievous fresh air.
For his part, Plotnicki has set about creating
something more tangible from his own forum
than endless online argument and in 2008
16 I n d us t ry T o p i c b y A n d y L y n e s
published ‘Opinionated About Fine Dining Survey
- The 100 Best Restaurant of North America
& Europe’. Since 2013, the publication of the
list has been accompanied by a launch event,
growing from a lunch and dinner at Saturne in
Paris to this year’s three day extravaganza in
Copenhagen. The roll call of some of Europe’s
finest chefs included Antonio Guida from Seta
in Milan as well as locally based celebrities Rene
Redzepi from Noma and Rasmus Kofoed of the
three Michelin starred Geranium.
The top 50 restaurants in Plotnicki’s list
differs considerably from the World’ 50 Best
with just 16 overlapping restaurants and only
one at the same spot with Piazza Duomo in Alba
appearing at number 27 on both. That’s partly
down to the fact that Plotnicki’s list only includes
European restaurants (he has separate lists for
US and Japanese but doesn’t yet cover the rest
of the world) but also because of his unique
weighting system.
‘The restaurants are weighted and so are
our 5,000 reviewers. Every time someone puts
a review in it changes the math a little bit. So the
most experienced diners at the highest rated
restaurants carry the most weight,’ says Plotnicki.
Given that Plotnicki himself is one
of the most experienced diners, the
system favours his own opinions and is
unashamedly elitist. ‘I’m not trying to make a
popularity poll. I’m trying to turn something
that is subjective into something that is as
objective as possible and you cannot do that
if opinions of inexperienced people count
the same as opinions of experienced people.
If you do that you end up with Harden’s or
Zagat. There’s a place for those guys, it’s
just not what I want to be’.
Although Plotnicki dismisses the idea that
he’s in competition with Michelin and the World’s
50 Best, claiming that he simply wants to help
people make better dining choices, he isn’t shy
about voicing criticism of both organisations.
‘I think World’s 50 Best does a really
good job of bringing focus to dining on
a global basis in a particular way. It’s
kind of like the Miss Universe contest of
restaurants. Michelin does a good job of
ferreting out quality restaurants in out of
the way places but they do a poor job of
updating their results. They don’t really
capture what happens to a restaurant over

time very well. They give you the score
and it’s up to you to figure it out. I’m really
trying to keep track of the motion of the
dining community, where they’re going,
where they’ve stopped going and what
they think’.
Although the Opinionated About Dining list
is stuffed full of high end fine dining restaurants,
Plotnicki’s personal tastes are changing. ‘I haven’t
been to Per Se in eight years. I never go to those
kinds of places. I don’t have much patience for
that style of dining, it’s too precious.
Plotnicki has also become suspicious
of the sort of investor-driven restaurants
that he sees dominating both the London
and New York scene. ‘It’s so commercialised.
They serve a lot of covers and they need
to make a lot of money so the focus is not
on delivering the highest quality food. The
last time I was in London, I was toying with
going to Jason Atherton’s Shosharu but I
know what the food’s going to be like
without even going; Pollen Street
Social with soy sauce and cooked
over Binchotan charcoal. So I
find I’m more attracted to places
like Peckham Baazar, Berber
& Q and Hoppers because they
are much more food driven and
there’s less bullshit’.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that
some who has spent decades hunting
down the new and novel in the world of dining
would, after several decades, begin to find it
difficult to get excited about a new restaurant
as they once were, but Plotnicki says it’s
nothing to do with having a jaded palette.
‘Advances in cooking are really tied
to advances in kitchen technology. The
last real advance was in the mid-nineties
and chefs exploited that through to the
mid 2000’s. Now we’ve gone back to this
natural phase there’s a lot of food that’s
tasty, it’s just not as creative or interesting.
What I like to find is like the guy in 2004
who figured out how to cook beef cheek
for 40 hours, for me that was a great find.
There are no finds like that these days’.
Despite his reservations, Plotnicki’s
appetite seems as sharp as ever. When we
spoke, he was beginning to plan his next trip
to Europe and more than a decade after it’s
launch, he has plans to commercialise Opinion
About and turn his ‘hobby’ into a business.
‘This was the first year we had sponsors. It’s
getting too big for me to finance it myself.
We had 20 chefs this year and you have to
put them up and pay for food. It’s starting to
get expensive. It looks like I should be able to
attempt to turn this into an event business
that travels around Europe and does dinners.
We’re talking about getting something ready
for London for early next year’.
So look out, chefs, restaurateurs and
foodies, Steve Plotnicki is set to be around
for some time to come. He is gastronomy’s
mouth almighty; hear him roar.
17
I ndustr y T o p i c
OAD top 100
Below is the list of the top 200 restaurants in Europe as announced by Opinionated
About Dining (OAD). I have left in the comments about the restaurants from The
United Kingdom that are included in the top 100 and have identified the restaurants
that appear after the 100 listing and included OAD’s comments
1 L’Arpège France www.alain-passard.com
2 Azurmendi Spain www.azurmendi.biz
3 In de Wulf Belgium www.indewulf.be
4 Faviken Sweden www.faviken.com
5 Noma Denmark www.noma.dk
6 La Marine France www.chateauxhotels.com/
7 Etxebarri Spain www.asadoretxebarri.com
8 Diverxo Spain www.diverxo.com/
9 Vendôme Germany www.schlossbensberg.com
10 Restaurant Quique Dacosta Spain www.quiquedacosta.es
11 De Librije Netherlands www.librije.com/
12 Daniel Berlin Sweden www.danielberlin.se/
13 Astrance France
14 Osteria Francescana Italy www.osteriafrancescana.it
15 Le Calandre Italy www.calandre.com
16 Restaurant Franatzén Sweden http://frantzen-lindeberg.com
17 El Celler de Can Roca Spain www.cellercanroca.com
18 Pierre Gagnaire France www.pierre-gagnaire.com
19 La Vie Germany www.restaurant-lavie.de
20 Sant Pau Spain www.santpau.jp
21 Sa.Qua.Na France www.alexandre-bourdas.com/saquana
22 Schloss Berg Germany www.victors-gourmet.de
23 Kadeau Bornholm Denmark www.kadeau.dk
24 Maaemo Norway www.maaemo.no
25 Tim Raue Germany
26 Geranium Denmark www.geranium.dk/
27 Piazza Duomo Italy www.piazzaduomoalba.it
28 Bras France www.michel-bras.com
29 L’Air du Temps Belgium www.airdutemps.be
30 Elkano Spain www.restauranteelkano.com
31 Restaurant Guy Savoy France www.guysavoy.com
32 Il Povero Diavolo Italy www.ristorantepoverodiavolo.com
33 Flocons de Sel France www.floconsdesel.com
34 Hertog Jan Belgium www.hertog-jan.com
35 Tickets Spain
36 Le Cinq Paris, France www.fourseasons.com/paris
37 Uliassi Italy www.uliassi.it
38 Disfrutar Spain http://en.disfrutarbarcelona.com/
39 Pic France www.pic-valence.com
40 Studio Denmark en.thestandardcph.dk/
41 Relae Denmark www.restaurant-relae.dk
42 Mugaritz Spain www.mugaritz.com
43 Gaestehaus Klaus Erfurt Germany www.gaestehaus-erfort.de
44 Hof van Cleve Belgium www.hofvancleve.com
45 The Sportsman
After giving up a life as a schoolteacher to become a chef,
Stephen Harris has demonstrated that the ingredients of his
native Kent can be world-class if they are sourced correctly and
then prepared by a chef who has mastered a variety of culinary
techniques that range from traditional to modern. Don’t be
18
fooled by the setting in a converted pub as , you will find some
of the best regional cooking in Europe here.
Faversham Road Seasalter, United Kingdom 01227 273370 www.
thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk
46 Torre del Saracino Italy www.torredelsaracino.com
47 Andreas Caminada Switzerland www.andreascaminada.com
48 Le Petit Nice France www.petitnice-passedat.com
49 La Vague d’Or France
50 Oaxen Sweden http://oaxen.com/?lang=en
51 Araki
It isn’t often that one of the world’s top sushi chefs decides
to close up shop in Tokyo and move to another city. But after
Mitsuhiro Araki’s daughter decided to attend boarding school
in the United Kingdom, the decision to move his restaurant to
London was easy. A major difference between the Tokyo and
London locations is that Mitsuhiro does not have access to the
treasures that can be found at Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market. Rather, he
relies exclusively on a catch that comes from European waters,
with the occasional fish sourced from North America. The
service and hospitality are both lovely, and the non-sushi dishes
are served on beautiful antique Japanese ceramics. But diners
beware: This is one of the most expensive restaurants in London,
rivaling what a very top sushi experience would charge in Japan.
photo credit: click on text to expand.
12 New Burlington St London, United Kingdom
+4402072872481 http://the-araki.com/
52 Epicure France
www.lebristolparis.com/eng/gastronomy/epicure/
53 Miramar France www.mirazur.fr
54 Aqua Germany www.ritzcarlton.com
55 Ledoyen France
http://commercial.groupeepicure.com/homeledoyen.html
56 Martín Berasategui Spain www.martinberasategui.com
57 Combal.zero Italy www.combal.org
58 Hedone
Blogger turned chef Mikael Jonnson sources some of the best
ingredients in the U.K. - fish straight from the docks in Poole,
grass-fed Irish beef that has been hung for 60 days, AOC onions
imported from France - and prepares them with a level of love
and respect you don’t see in many contemporary restaurants.
Extremely popular with OAD reviewers, who are focused on
eating the best possible products; some reviewers have visited
the restaurant in excess of 50 times.
301 Chiswick High Road London, UK 020 8747 0377
www.hedonerestaurant.com
59 Jin France
60 Passage 53 France www.passage53.com
61 Le Grenouillère France www.lagrenouillere.fr
62 Steirereck Austria 03863 2000 www.steirereck.at
63 Reale Italy www.ristorantereale.it
64 La Pergola Italy www.cavalieri-hilton.it
65 De Leest Netherlands www.restaurantdeleest.nl
66 Kei France www.restaurant-kei.fr
67 Bon-Bon Belgium www.bon-bon.be
68 David Toutain France http://davidtoutain.com/
69 The Ledbury
The skillful contemporary cooking served here, which features
dishes like young vegetables with Beaufort cream and spring
truffles, and native lobster with tomato butter and basil, is
tinged with a modernist edge, and it has many diners calling this
the best dining room in London. The high level of buzz being
generated by its chef, Australian-born Brett Graham, signals
that the restaurant has the potential to climb even higher in the
culinary rankings.
127 Ledbury Road London, United Kingdom 0207-792-9090
www.theledbury.com
70 Gilles Goujon/Auberge de Vieux Puits Fontjoncouse
www.aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr
71 Nadeau Denmark www.kadeau.dk
72 Villa Crespi Italy www.hotelvillacrespi.it/
73 Arzak Spain www.arzak.es
74 De Kromme Watergang Netherlands www.krommewatergang.nl
75 Pure C Netherlands www.sergioherman.com
76 Don Alfonso 1890 Italy www.donalfonso1890.com
77 Ibai Spain
78 Okuda France www.okuda.fr/
79 Lido 84 Italy www.ristorantelido84.com/
80 Del Cambio Italy
81 La Bouitte St. Martin-de-Bellevue www.la-bouitte.com
82 Taubenkobel www.taubenkobel.at
83 Gastrologik Italy www.davittorio.com
85 HKK
It is to the credit of the Abu Dhabi investment group Tasameem
that in the midst of rolling out branches of their highly successful
Hakkasan, they stopped to take the time to create a top-level
fine dining experience. At the heart of the operation is Tong
Chee Hwee, who after spending 11 years as the head chef for
the entire Hakkasan group, has settled in at HKK and is now
offering diners creations like lychee-wood-roasted Peking duck;
lobster soup with goji berry and enoki mushroom; and charcoal-
grilled lamb in Sha-Cha sauce. One reviewer, while pointing out
that in no way should this be confused with fusion cooking,
credits the restaurant’s success as the result of “a careful re-
thinking of Chinese cuisine combined with a deep understanding
of European ingredients,” while another says the cooking is “as
good as any you will find in Hong Kong.”
Worship St London, United Kingdom +44 20 3535 1888
www.hkklondon.com
86 Devero Ristorante Italy www.deverohotel.it
87 La Belle Epoque Germany
88 Restaurant Jean Sulpice France www.loxalys.fr
89 A.T. France www.atsushitanaka.com/
90 The Jane Belgium www.thejaneantwerp.com
91 Madonnina del Pescatore Italy 07 1698 267
www.madonninadelpescatore.it
92 L’Assiette Champenoise France +33 3 26 84 64 64
www.assiettechampenoise.com
93 L’Enclume
This restaurant, located in the United Kingdom’s Lake District, is
where Simon Rogan made a name for himself. Using ingredients
that come from the region as a starting point, he creates dishes
like Dublin bay prawn in pig skin, beetroot and sea beet and
Dexter beef with tripe braised Cavendish St, Grange-over-Sands,
United Kingdom +44 15395 36362 www.lenclume.co.uk
94 Ekstedt Stockholm, www.ekstedt.nu
95 Henne Kirkeby Kro Denmark www.hennekirkebykro.dk
96 Inter Scaldes www.interscaldes.nl
97 Mathias Dahlgren Sweden www.mathiasdahlgren.com
98 Seta Italy www.mandarinoriental.com/
99 Pakta Spain +http://es.bcn50.org/
100 Neige d’Eté France
 102 The Fat Duck
After being closed for a year for renovations (the restaurant
operated a pop-up in Australia during that period), Heston
Blumenthal reopened this charming restaurant in the quaint
village of Bray this past fall. Given the time off, combined with
the fact that the cuisine the restaurant’s reputation was built
on dates back to an era when Molecular Gastronomy was king,
our reviewers were a bit apprehensive about returning to what
used to be one of their favorite restaurants. Well, the results
are mixed, which explains why a restaurant that was perennially
in our Top 10 has fallen to 102. Not that it is a bad experience.
But there is somewhat of a museum quality to dining at the Fat
Duck these days.
High Street, Bray, Berkshire, SL6 2AQ, United Kingdom United
Kingdom +44 (0)1628 580 333
http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/
105 Sushi Tetsu
After spending a number of years running the omakase counter
at Nobu’s London restaurant, Toru Takahashi decided it was
time to open his own place. Now he runs this extremely tiny
restaurant in London’s East End along with his wife, Harumi.
If you are lucky enough to snag one of the nine seats at the
counter of this minuscule sushi restaurant located down a
narrow alley in the East End, it won’t take long for you to realize
you are at the best Japanese restaurant in London.
12 Jerusalem Passage London, UK +44 20 3217 0090
http://sushitetsu.co.uk/
111 Clove Club
Those who are fans of Parisian neo-bistro restaurants like
Saturne and Septime should consider a visit to Isaac McHale’s
restaurant. Set in the 150-year-old Shoreditch Town Hall,
McHale’s menu includes scrumptious creations like black
pudding with Braeburn apple and chicory relish and Yorkshire
suckling pig with Indian spices.
380 Old St London, UK +44 20 7729 6496 thecloveclub.com
123 Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs
With stints at Per Se and Marcus Wareing on their résumés, it
would have been logical for James Knappett and Sandia Chang
to open their own fine dining establishment. Instead, they
opened a hip Champagne bar named Bubbledogs, where the
only item on the menu is a hot dog, available with 12 different
toppings. But while you can take the truffles away from the boy,
taking the boy away from his truffles is another thing entirely.
Using the profits they earned from selling hot dogs and bubbly,
the duo built a secret hideaway just behind their restaurant – 17
seats spread around a U-shaped counter – where Knappett
serves tasting menus featuring dishes like crispy chicken skin
slathered with rosemary mascarpone and bacon jam, and
venison with rose-flavored yogurt, fresh pine, wild mushrooms
and shaved chestnuts. It’s one of the toughest reservations to
come by in London.
70 Charlotte St. London, United Kingdom 0207 637 7770
www.bubbledogs.co.uk
126 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Opinions differ on Heston Blumenthal’s take on British
antiquarian cuisine. Some say you will find “the same meticulous
attention to detail employed at the Fat Duck,” while others see
it as “overhyped and overrated.” The “comfortable and casual
room” offers “splendid views of Hyde Park.”
66 Knightsbridge London, UK +44 20 7201 3833
www.dinnerbyheston.com
133 Martin Wishart
Back in 1999, when Edinburgh was a dining wasteland, Martin
Wishart opened this smart restaurant where the marvelous
seafood includes items like Loch Fyne crab, Orkney scallop and
Kilbrannan langoustine. Wishart caters to meat eaters as well
with dishes like Borders Roe Deer with braised lettuce, carrot,
date and BBQ onion.
54 Shore Edinburgh, United Kingdom +44 131 553 3557
www.martin-wishart.co.uk
136 Fera
Having two successful restaurants already (L’Enclume in Cartmel
and London’s Roganic) did not stop Simon Rogan from taking on
his most ambitious project yet: a formal dining experience that
replaced Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in the main dining room at
Claridge’s. Fera is a type of whitefish found in Lake Geneva.
Brook St London, UK +44 (0)20 7629 8860
www.claridges.co.uk/fera/
137 The Square
Phil Howard’s exaggerated bourgeoise cooking is still packing
them in at this classic Mayfair house. Along with the multiple
variations of truffle, foie gras and lobster that Howard typically
has on offer, you will also find one of the best lists of red
Burgundies in London.
6-10 Bruton St London, UK +44 20 7495 7100
www.squarerestaurant.com
152 Midsummer House
Some restaurants are flashy and get a lot of press. Others quietly
do their thing, satisfying their customers year after year. Daniel
Clifford’s restaurant is a prototype of the latter, and countless
professors, students and their parents have enjoyed dishes like
beetroot baked on open coals with quinoa, goat cheese and
mizuna while dining alongside the River Cam.
Midsummer Common Cambridge,
United Kingdom +44 1223 369299
www.midsummerhouse.co.uk
153 Marcus Waring
Bravo to Marcus Wareing. Back in 2007, our very first survey
awarded this restaurant the honor of being the most overrated
restaurant in the U.K. But now, seven years later, Wareing
has managed to snag a place on our Top 100 list. Why the
difference, you ask? Well, anyone’s guess is as good as ours, but
one of the two most obvious explanations is that the further
Wareing gets from his partnership with Gordon Ramsay (the
duo had a very public divorce in 2008), the more our reviewers
like his restaurant. Another theory is that the restaurant has
been on an upward glide path ever since James Knappett was
’executive chef (he has since moved on to the Kitchen Table
at Bubbledogs.) Regardless of the reason, Wareing has the
restaurant on track (in fact, he displaced Ramsay’s restaurant
on this year’s list), and reviewers are hailing his “well-executed
Modern British fare utilizing wonderful ingredients.”
Wilton Place London, UK 0207-235-6000 ww.the-berkeley.co.uk
157 Nathan Outlaw
Nathan Outlaw looks like he could wrestle a bluefin tuna to
shore with his bare hands. But when you visit this charming
boutique hotel/restaurant and have that tuna served to you on
a plate, you will find that Nathan is a chef who shows a gentle
hand with fish.
photo credit: click on text to expand.
St. Endoc Hotel Cornwall, UK 01208 862 737
www.nathan-outlaw.com
162 Umu
Diners do not usually associate London with a top Japanese
experience, but this “posh” dining room on one of London’s most
fashionable shopping streets is a favorite among OAD reviewers. A
proponent of the ikejime technique in preparing his fish, executive
chef Yoshinori Ishii regularly makes trips to Cornwall in order to
meet with local fisherman and teach them about the quality of fish
he would like to serve. Besides the super-fresh sushi, there is a full
menu of Japanese fusion cuisine featuring dishes like “Matsukasa”
crispy-skin Cornish Dover sole with bonito flakes.
14-16 Bruton Pl London, United Kingdom +44 20 7499 8881
www.umurestaurant.com/umu.htm
163 Hibiscus
Claude Bosi’s Mayfair restaurant has managed to recapture
the buzz it had before it moved to London from Ludlow.
Game season is a popular time at the restaurant, as Bosi offers
preparations of things like grouse and woodcock served in both
modern and purist fashion.
29 Maddox St London, UK +44 20 7629 2999
www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk
164 The Kitchin
Our reviewers say that if Tom Kitchin’s restaurant (what are
the odds of a chef having the surname Kitchin?) would be
much better known if it were located in London rather than
Edinburgh. Those who have made the trek up to Scotland will
enjoy dishes like a ragoût of Loch Creran oysters with poached
salsify tagliatelle.
78 Commercial Quay Edinburgh,
United Kingdom +44 131 555 1755 thekitchin.com
169 Restaurant Sat Bains
The industrial city of Nottingham is the last place you would imagine
to find a chef who describes his cuisine as salt-sweet-sour-bitter-
umami. But Sat Bains is not just any chef, and he is ready to tantalize
your palate with dishes like pork jowl, piccalilli and salted apple and
onion cooked over an open fire and served with aged garlic.
Lenton Lane Nottingham, United Kingdom +44 115 9866 566
www.restaurantsatbains.com
172 Gymkhana
This darling of the British press located on a Mayfair street filled
with galleries and smart boutiques caused a minor sensation
when it opened its doors in 2013. The cuisine is an updated
version of colonial Indian cooking, featuring dishes like Malabar
paratha with duck egg bhurji and lobster, black pepper fish
tikka with lasooni and tomato chutney and a Sofiyan roe deer
chop served with keema naan and kasundi mooli. Parties of six
can opt for the special biryani and raan feast, which features a
main event of goat raan served with masala tandoori potato,
cucumber and cumin raita. A decent wine selection – especially
French and German Rieslings – enhance the experience.
42 Albemarle Street London, UK 020 3011 5900
www.gymkhanalondon.com
173 Alyn Williams at the Westbury
A disciple of Gordon Ramsay, Alyn Williams has continued the
tradition that Ramsay started by serving “classical French cuisine
with a few English twists.” Praise was showered on “Giancarlo
Princigalli and his excellent service team” as well as a “reasonable
price point for food of this quality.”
37 Conduit St, London, UK +44 20 7183 6426
www.westburymayfair.com
189 Dinings
Don’t be put off by the total lack of atmosphere at this
restaurant located in the basement of a town house in
Marylebone that some of our reviewers describe as “the anti-
Nobu.” The menu is a good mix of offerings from classic nigiri
to more creative a la carte dishes. It’s a mix that has allowed
reviewers to report enjoying meals that are an eclectic mix,
including salmon miso soup; zucchini flower and asparagus
tempura; toro two ways; crab, lobster and salmon tar-tar tacos;
wagyu beef steamed buns; and a tempura crab futomaki roll.
22 Harcourt St London, United Kingdom +44 20 7723 0666
dinings.co.uk
190 Le Champignon Sauvage
Long before the foraging that is the basis of the New Nordic cuisine
became the rage of the culinary world, David Everitt-Matthias
combed the woods of his native Gloucestershire in order to create a
refined, terroir-driven cuisine that is unique to his region.
24-26 Suffolk Rd Cheltenham, United Kingdom 0124 257 3449
www.lechampignonsauvage.co.uk
192 A. Wong
When Andrew Wong (hence the A.) took over his family’s
restaurant, he devised a menu that paid tribute to each of
China’s 14 unique culinary regions, allowing diners to enjoy
Shanghai soup dumplings and Yunnan seared beef on the same
menu. A. Wong is one of the few good places to eat in what is
otherwise a dining desert around Victoria Station.
70 Wilton Rd London, United Kingdom +44 20 7828 8931
www.awong.co.uk
198 Bonhams
This restaurant in the back of the Bonham’s auction house is a bit
difficult to locate. But once you find your way there, the cooking
of Tom Kemble will clearly delight the senses. A disciple of
Mikael Jonnson at Hedone in London’s Chiswick neighborhood,
Kemble sources some of the best ingredients in Britain, like
scallops from the Isle of Mull, which he serves with Jerusalem
artichoke purée, baby endive, pear, cobnut and lobster coral
sauce and a Saddleback pork chop with pearl barley, puffed
grains, heritage carrots and Peckham mead jus. A lovely, bright
dining room makes this restaurant a sea of calm among the
hustle bustle of Old Bond Street.
101 New Bond Street London +44 20 7468 5868
www.bonhams.com/locations/RES/
19
living legend: by Josh Sims

Wolfgang
Puck Wolfgang Puck began cooking at his mother’s side as a child. She was a
chef in the Austrian town where he was born, and with her encouragement,
Wolfgang began his formal training at fourteen years of age. As a young chef he
worked in some of France’s greatest restaurants, including Maxim’s in Paris, the
Hotel de Paris in Monaco, and the Michelin 3-starred L’Oustau de Baumanière in
Provence. At the age of 24, Wolfgang left Europe for the United States. His first job
in 1973 was at the restaurant La Tour in Indianapolis, after which in 1975 he moved
to Los Angeles and rapidly garnered the attention of the Hollywood elite as chef and
eventually part owner of Ma Maison in West Hollywood.
20
W
olfgang Puck is pondering picking
up the brush. “But I don’t just want
to be another guy putting paint on
a canvas,” he says, “and I worry that I’m too
old now to have to time to get good at it. I’d
want the same reaction from a painting as
I might get from a dish. I wouldn’t say I was
a perfectionist but, you know, if you cook a
steak in a cold skillet and it comes out grey
you say ‘what the hell is this?’ And if I got the
same reaction to a painting - ‘oh my god!’ -
then burn it. The fact is that you be good at
anything you have to learn the skills.”
So, Puck implies, the only thing to do is to keep
on opening restaurants. More and more of
them. The acclaimed chef - the only chef to
have won the James Beard Foundation Award
for Outstanding Chef award twice, and last
year inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame
- opened his first European outpost outside
of his US base -at 45 Park Lane which forms
part of the Dorchester Collection - and now -
in part inspired by the impact of the economic
downturn in America - come new openings in
Dubai, Bahrain, Istanbul, Singapore. These all
add to the stupendous 100 or so restaurants
- among them the Spago and Cut brands -
which the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group
already has.
“If I was to sell the business, all I’d do is open
another restaurant,” says the 66-year-old. “I
can’t sit still. I could open 10 restaurants every
year, but the main concern with expansion
now is finding the talent. You can’t find the
right people. You have to get them young and
train them up, so they learn our culture - of
hospitality, of concern for the well-being of the
guest, of flexibility and adaptability. It’s not just
about the food. That’s like having a car and it
all just being about the engine.”
That adaptability has applied as much to his
thinking as his service. The Austrian-born chef
- who argues that risk-taking is inherent to
the immigrant mind-set, having already taken
the huge gamble of leaving the safety of one’s
home nation - has always gone his own way:
an open kitchen, posh pizzas, fusion food,
TV appearances, Puck could make a claim to
having pioneered ideas that are now part of
the fine-dining mainstream.
“Open kitchens were entertaining - and they
make chefs work harder because they’re on
show. They can’t swear either,” explains Puck.
“And why not take something as simple as
a pizza and try to lift it to the next level? Not
everyone will like it, and some Italians might
think it’s a terrible idea. But there is room in
the world for more than one kind of pizza.
Besides, people often need an anchor to grasp
a new idea before they will try new ingredients
21

or ways of presenting food - and everyone
knows what a pizza is.”
Indeed, arguably the first celebrity chef of the
modern era, Puck knows the power of profile:
The Source, his Washington restaurant, for
example, has won column inches for being
President Obama’s favourite, while having done
the Oscars dinner every year for more than a
decade still helps. “They’re good for us because
it’s just one day and we get global coverage
- so many people come to LA and their first
destination is Spago, because of the Oscars,”
says Puck. “The fact is that some kind of
media profile is important now - even very
good cooks have less chance of success
with it. But media brings an expectancy
with it too - so the bar is raised.”
Perhaps the ultimate accolade -
and certainly an indication of his
status in the US at least - Puck
has even be immortalised
in cartoon form, on ‘The
Simpsons’. “That was
the easiest thing to
do - I just had to read
the lines. And my kids
loved it - more than
if I’d been the star of
an entire feature film,”
Puck laughs. He is also
aware of the problems that
come with it now too: “Young
people want instant gratification
- TV has made culture that way. Young
chefs want success overnight. Or they
22 living legend by Josh Sims
can do very complicated dishes but they can’t
do something very simple, like an omelette -
because learning how to do the very simple
things well takes time.”
Puck concedes that his approach is American,
albeit stereotyped: he is a big believer in
the power of brands - Spago and Cut, those
which he has most aggressively expanded,
are, like McDonald’s, “a way for people to
access dining now, a way of buying into
something that is familiar,” he says. “It’s a
source of reassurance, although it makes it
extremely important to maintain standards
across the restaurants then”; he went though
a personal fitness overhaul; his latest book
(‘Wolfgang Puck Makes It Healthy’) is all about
healthy eating; and fries and big steaks are
a mainstay of his repertoire - and he sees no
contradiction in this.
“Chefs can’t cook the hell out of
ingredients now and people are more
aware of what they put into their bodies,
but sure, if you eat a 500g steak and then
go home to sleep, that’s not such a good
idea,” he suggests. “You shouldn’t ever eat
so much that you can’t go home and make
love. That’s advice I always follow.”
But - and this is perhaps central to his success
too - he argues that his sensibility remains
European. “The American tendency is to
overdo everything. It’s all about excess,” he
says. “Europeans, in comparison,
prefer to tone it all down,
which makes what we do feel
that more sophisticated.”
It is certainly a formula that
works. He is now turning
his attention to Chinese
food, which is, he says,
“ripe for reinvention”, in
part because ingredients
that were not widely
available not so long ago
now are, in part because,
he says, it’s simply one of
the great under-explored
cuisines. “Cooking can’t
stand still,” he says. “We
can’t just keep doing what
we did 30 years ago. People
want an experience with their
food now, and I say that as a
classically-trained chef. We
have to keep finding new ways
of cooking.”
 Recipe by Wolfgang Puck
Mini Kobe Cheese Burgers
Yield: Makes 12 mini burgers
I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 3/4 pound Kobe ground beef
●● Pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper
●● 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
●● 3 slices organic cheddar cheese
●● 6 slices Brioche bread, punched out
with a 2-inch ring cutter
●● Remoulade (recipe follows)*
●● Organic iceberg lettuce
●● 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced
●● 3 cornichons, sliced
M e th o d
Preheat a grill or grill pan.
Put the ground beef in a bowl and season
with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Mix together with your hands to combine.
Take a small amount (about 2 tablespoons
worth) of the ground beef and roll it in the
palm of your hand like you are making
meatballs. Flatten the top slightly and put
the mini burger patties on a side plate.
Drizzle the burgers with oil and season
the tops with salt and pepper. Turn the
burgers over and season the other side.
Place the burgers on the hot grill. Cook
for 3 minutes, and then turn them over
with tongs. Put 1/4 slice of cheese on top
of burger. While that’s cooking, put the
brioche circles on the grill. Let them toast
slightly on both sides, about 2 minutes
total time.
To put the burgers together: Put the
toasted brioche circles on a platter.
Top each with a small spoonful of the
Remoulade (recipe below). Put the burger
on top (cheese side up), followed by Once up to simmer take remove from
sprinkling of finely chiffonade of iceberg, a stove and stir in cheese mix to dissolve.
slice of tomato and a slice of cornichon.
Cook pasta in a large pot to “al dente”
REMOULADE in salted water. Once pasta is cooked
Yield: Makes 1 cup shock in ice water. Then drain thoroughly.
In a large mixing bowl add pasta and
I NG R E D I EN T S cheese sauce together. At this point
●● 1 cup store-bought mayonnaise stir in Mozzarella. Place 7” Ring-mold in
●● 1/8 cup ketchup the gratin dish. Line the ring-mold with
●● 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar lightly buttered parchment (butter side in)
●● 1/8 cup red onion, finely chopped Pack 400 grams pasta mix into the mold.
●● 1 teaspoon capers, chopped Top with 20 grams cheese mix. Finish
●● 1 teaspoon chives, chopped by sprinkling 5 grams bread crumbs on
●● 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped top. Remove ring mold without removing
●● 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped parchment. Place the room temperature
●● Pinch kosher salt pasta in a 380° F, Low Fan oven for 10-12
●● Pinch sugar minutes. The inside should be very hot
without the cheese sauce on the outside
M e th o d breaking. Remove the parchment and
Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to Serve
combine.
*Note: To make this recipe even simpler,
instead of making the Remoulade, make
your own special sauce by combining
3/4 cup of store-bought or homemade
Thousand Island dressing with 2
tablespoons of bottled barbecue sauce
and a little bit of diced red onion. Stir to
combine.
Mac & Cheese
Yield: 16
I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 3 Boxes (1# each) Cavatappi Pasta
●● 1000 g Cheese Mix (1/2 Low Moisture
Mozzarella, 1/2 Aged Cheddar)
●● 2750g Béchamel
●● 800g Crème Fraiche
●● 20g Fleur De Sel
●● 700g Mozzarella
●● 16 each Parchments Strips 18” X 2”
●● Butter
●● Brioche Bread
●● 320g Cheese Mix
●● 16 7” Ceramic Gratin Dishes
M e th o d :
In a medium sauce pot slowly bring to a
simmer Bechamel, Crème Fraiche, Cream
and Fleur De Sel.
23
QUALITY ASSURANCE

Eating quality
guaranteed
Quality Standard Mark beef and lamb
The assurance scheme that guarantees eating quality

The quality assurance scheme was launched to enhance

integrity, quality and product consistency through the supply
chain for beef and lamb.

It’s a fantastic food story that starts on the farm.

“There are plenty of quality marks that exist, but only one that offers
a guarantee,” says Paul Westaway, specialist beef producer.

“It’s a guarantee that gives my beef a point of difference in the

marketplace and gives the consumer confidence in the beef and
lamb they purchase. It is the Quality Standard Mark (QSM).

Paul and Kirsty Westaway, specialist beef farmers
“Suppliers and consumers alike can rely on beef and lamb marked
with the Quality Standard Mark logo. It gives provenance, letting you
know where the product has been farmed, either in England or in
Great Britain, and it tells you that that beef or lamb product is totally
assured from the farm to point of purchase.

24
“But there is one vital difference with this scheme, over and above
any other in the UK, and that is the guarantee of eating quality. It is an
extremely strong message that provides consumers with beef and
lamb they can rely on and trust to be succulent and tender.
“That’s what I am looking for, that genuine differentiation and added
value for consumers and diners. It really is a great food story and one
that benefits my farming business and the whole industry. English
farmers should be proud of the Quality Standard Mark Scheme as it is
the only scheme which provides the option of highlighting that the beef
and lamb has been farmed in England. This is very important to me. I
am proud of my farm in Gloucestershire, where I produce beef livestock
to the required specification and standards of the scheme.
“Through the QSM Scheme, we are also helping to protect our farming
heritage by encouraging producers to provide appropriate livestock for
the market. This, I think, is one of the most important factors relating
to the scheme. As a farmer, I know that the integrity of my farming
methods is extremely important, not only in relation to the scheme, but
also to the discerning consumer. Our farm is independently inspected
at regular intervals, and I welcome this. There are many other quality
schemes, but the Quality Standard Mark Scheme not only champions
good farming practice, it guarantees eating quality.
“British beef is famous for its quality, which is the result of centuries of
breeding, experience and care during farming and processing. Added
to this is extensive science and research. On my farm, helped by my
wife Kirsty, we have a herd of pedigree Aberdeen Angus and also finish
Angus crossed Holstein Friesian heifers and pure Holstein bulls. I am
fortunate to have gained extensive experience in the supply chain as a
butcher. This leads me on through to the processing of Quality Standard
beef and lamb and how important getting it right at the abattoir is.
“Welfare standards are championed in the abattoir with strict standards
and specifications, as stressed animals will provide tough and poor
quality meat. Animals must be properly housed, watered and fed with
25
 care by professional handlers. Once the animal has been stunned and
killed, the care, skill and hygiene of the plant and its workforce will
dictate the quality of the finished product. Carcases are hung in the
abattoir to chill down in a carefully, well-monitored and controlled
way, to avoid meat ‘toughing’. Carcases can be cooled slowly or high
voltage electrical stimulation can be applied. Dependent on customer
specifications, the animals are graded and matured and carcases are
hung again to individual specifications relating to maturation.

“Livestock age plays an important role in terms of eating quality, as

does seasonality with lamb, both of which are taken into account within
the scheme standards and specifications.

“The Quality Standard Mark Scheme stipulates specific carcase

classifications for both beef and lamb. Providing appropriate carcase
classifications will also guarantee better meat yields and subsequently
better returns for my fellow producers. After slaughter, muscle
undergoes changes that will affect both visual appeal and meat quality.

“Some meat plants use electrical stimulation after slaughter to improve

eating quality. Muscles stimulated to contract will use up energy,
accelerating the onset of rigor mortis and so allow earlier chilling. High
voltage applied prior to chilling increases tenderness more effectively
than low voltage applied prior to dressing. In beef, this method is less
effective on tenderness than hip suspension.

“Meat toughness increases if muscles contract before rigor mortis

sets in. Cooling too fast or too soon results in muscle ‘shortening’. As
a general rule, while chilling the carcase, a muscle temperature below
10°C within ten hours of slaughter should be avoided.

“Tenderness increases in extended storage, as naturally occurring

enzymes break down protein in the meat. Maturation can occur in hung
carcases, unpackaged primals or vacuum packs. Beef livestock between
30 and 36 months is matured for 14 days from slaughter to enhance
tenderness. For additional quality improvements, a minimum of 21 days
can be applied. Lamb benefits from ageing, ideally, for up to 10 days.
This should be limited to seven days for cuts to be sold bone-in.”

The scheme standards and specifications don’t stop at the abattoir,

they continue right through the supply chain for chefs, foodservice
suppliers, catering butchers and specialist independent retailers
who are members of the scheme. All businesses are independently
inspected. Catering suppliers must be assured with an approved

26 Q U A L I T Y A S S U R A N C E
qualifying scheme. These measures are vital to provide the guarantees
of eating quality and consistency.
There are over 60 specialist catering butchers in the scheme, over
2,000 independent retail suppliers and all the major processors are
members.
Nigel Haworth is one of many Michelin-starred chefs that specify
Quality Standard Mark beef and lamb. All Nigel’s beef and lamb
suppliers are members of the scheme and he has specific reasons for
why he choose QSM beef and lamb.
“I cannot afford to let my customers down”, says Nigel.
“I can guarantee that using Quality Standard Mark Beef and Lamb will
give them a point of difference.
“Every chef will tell you that one of the most important things to them
is to have a point of difference with the style and execution of their
food. This is vital if they are to make a successful career as a chef. As
important, however, is having the very best produce and ingredients to
cook with. I take great care and an incredible amount of time choosing
my suppliers, because they must deliver consistent, quality produce. I
need guarantees on the safety, quality and consistency of the products I
am buying for my restaurants and food service operations.
“Most importantly, I need a point of difference with the beef and lamb
I source from my Quality Standard Mark approved suppliers. Enhanced
eating quality ̶ that is the difference with this scheme. Yes, I have to
pay a little more for my produce, but it is worth it. It gives me a point of
difference on my menu.”
Hugh Judd is the Senior Foodservice Manager for the Agriculture and
Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). Hugh is the person to contact
if you require further information on the scheme or if you need a list of
foodservice suppliers who are members of the scheme. You may also
find useful a copy of the Meat Purchasing Guide with over 650 beef and
lamb product specifications.
Contact Hugh at hugh.judd@ahdb.org.uk or call the scheme hotline
on 0845 491 8787. You can also follow us @qsm_beeflamb and if you
are a member of the scheme share pictures of your products with us
through using #QualityAsStandard
27
C o untr y Pr o f i l e : By Namai Bishop
Carbon Free
Cooking
Thailand: diverse Terrain-diverse Cuisine
Thai cuisine is as varied as the country’s vastly diverse landscape, with
each of Thailand’s four regions offering their own distinct styles. While
most chefs and consumers are familiar with the cuisine of its central
region known as the Royal Thai Kitchen, there is a bounty of diverse
cooking styles beyond the familiar. A culinary map of Thailand (below)
charts the array of Thai ingredients, each indigenous to their particular
region, as well as the social and cultural influences that have shaped
the cuisine of this rich land.
Method of Service
Most Thai meals are served ‘family style’ with dishes placed in the
centre of the table for diners to share - a trend that is growing in
popularity with many chefs no matter their ethnicity. Traditionally, a
meal is comprised of over five dishes, each contrasting in texture and
flavour - and the key is harmoniously balancing these. Dishes often
include a soup (such as the well known hot and spicy tom yam soup,
that can have shrimp, seafood or chicken added) a curry-style dish,
a deep-fried preparation and a stir fry (using meat, fish, seafood, or
vegetables) served with a staple plain, sticky rice dish or Khanom
28
chin (Thai rice noodles). But perhaps the most crucial and distinctive
element of Thai cuisine is the nam chim, or nam phrik: the sauces and
condiments that heighten the flavour profiles of the combined dishes,
with their own individual blend of sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and spicy
tastes. Bijoux bowls of these sauces typically line the entire breadth
of the table, each as varied in flavour as their method of preparation.
They can include phrik nam pla or nam pla phrik, a pungent blend
of fish (or shrimp) sauce, lime juice, chopped chillies and garlic. An
unctuous sweet chilli sauce, made with Palm sugar (derived from the
sap of Borassus palms) provides a warming sweetness while its sibling
Sriracha sauce, made with a ground paste of chilli peppers, distilled
vinegar, garlic, sugar is even spicier. Ion is a type of dip enriched with
creamy coconut milk, with tamarind and lime-based condiments
included to add sourness. A bowl of fiery Thai red or green chilli peppers
(usually soaked in rice vinegar) or simply dried spicy chilli flakes add the
potent yet fragrant punch that is a distinctive quality of Thai cuisine.
Health Food Pioneers
Thai cooking is inherently healthy, thanks to the abundant use of a
variety of colourful vegetables, freshly caught fish, locally reared meats
 Namai Bishop travels
to Thailand to explore
its varied cuisine and meets an
English chef who is scooping
international awards for his
pioneering carbon free cooking’
and fragrant garden herbs. The country itself has long had a reputation
as the epicentre for spa and wellness practices, generating its own
coveted style of Thai spa cuisine. Thai food generally lends itself well
to this style of dining, with dishes often lightly prepared (steamed or
flash fried thus retaining ingredients vital vitamins), sauces shunning
heavier cream and butter additions, relying instead on fresh broths,
aromatic herbs and the flavour punch of spices – which themselves
provide a positive effect on our metabolic rate. Similarly, Thai cuisine’s
natural emphasis on its regional and seasonal produce as well as often,
localised sourcing practices makes Thailand an exemplar for many
modern-minded chefs. With customers’ increasing demand for healthy
lean cuisine it’s no wonder chefs worldwide are taking an aromatic leaf
right out of Thai cookbooks.
Thai “Green” Curry
In the heart of Thailand, one Englishman is taking this one step further.
I met James Noble, Michelin starred chef and resident manager of the
award-winning Aleenta Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Pranburi. A “barefoot
luxury” resort three hours south of Bangkok, the area is the holiday
destination choice for Thai royalty and visiting celebrities, and the resort
counts among its illustrious guests celebrityroyalty the Beckhams no
less.. But the approach to cuisine here is less ‘bling’ / more basic, as the
chef spearheads a novel technique: carbon free cooking. This method
uses no fuel to cook, ie no charcoal or gas or electricity, relying instead
on slow cooking and creative natural techniques. Dishes are cooked
in solar ovens, smoke houses and using methods based on molecular
cooking to ensure a minimal carbon footprint. Examples of cooking
techniques include using clay pots buried in the hot sand on the beach,
solar baking using wooden boxes lined with foil, smoke houses using
recycled wood chips and steaming in seawater.
“I wanted to see if food can be cooked using the old methods of salting,
curing, drying etc and be brought to a standard that can be served in a
five star environment,” said James.Given the award-winning success of
Aleenta,the chef is clearly achieving his aim.
With more than 20 years experience in hospitality, Noble is a pioneering
figure in Thai culinary circles who has helped shape the international
perception of wholesome and nutritious Thai food among visitors to
some of its most renowned hotels and establishments.
29

James Noble,
Michelin starred chef
and resident manager
of the award-winning
Aleenta Hua Hin
Resort & Spa,
Pranburi
The chef worked as a culinary instructor for Thailand’s leading Dusit
Thani culinary school and at some of the areas most renowned
international hotel chains, including as Executive Chef at the
internationally lauded Six Senses Hideaway resort, Koh Samui, where
he was responsible for creating a unique menu that combined classic
Thai culinary methods with modern methods – a technique that won
its restaurant Dining on the Rocks “Best Restaurant in Thailand” by
Thailand Tatler Magazine (an accolade that it has retained to this day).
But it’s his work at Aleenta Hua Hin Resort & Spa that is giving him
the freedom to experiment with techniques and sourcing practices that
have put this corner of Thailand on the map as a culinary destination for
organic and sustainable Thai cuisine.
Noble was himself instrumental in helping buck the perception of haute
cuisine in the establishments he worked at, meaning pricey imported
food from far-flung reaches (think menus featuring white truffles from
Alba Italy, caviar from Russia and foie gras from France) to the more
“intelligent luxury” of delicious, fresh produce, lovingly prepared with
respect for their origins and sustainability.
30 C o u n t ry P r o f i l e : B y N a m a i B i s h o p
Noble created his menus in terms of ecological footprints. “I started
questioning myself, ‘Do we really need to have the best of
everything internationally?” he said.
“And then I started looking around. I learned sea salt grains are
available in local farms in Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram
provinces. Our fish? it comes from right there of course” says Noble,
pointing out to the glistening sea directly behind him.
“All our ingredients are either grown organically on our own farm or
sourced within just a 30km radius. Vegetables are harvested in small
farms located and handpicked by the hotel staff. All this produce is
transported to our kitchens by bicycles or local tuk-tuks powered by
fuel made from cooking oil disposed of by other local resorts”
Now the resort is an impressive 87 percent self-sustainable resort. I
asked the chef how he balances sustainability with providing guests
with a gastronomic experience?
“here is so much waste and damage to our world , I wanted to set
out to see and be the counter-side: the supplier. I’m now less about
the stars, more about nature – Mother Nature is the goal.”
He continues “We grow what we need, we grow plants and food that
help the land when ploughed back in, we grow seasonal product
that peak when a guest eats it. Sustainability isn’t a new age
concept, it’s common sense stay in the realms of what’s pure. People
are realising this is what is true quality.”
Adapting to his natural environment means Noble changes his menu
every three months. “The most challenging part is growing your own
vegetables and dealing with seasonal crops and inventory. Seasonal
vegetables and fruits mature at various times, so we need to know
about when and how much the crops can be harvested. We also
need to revise the menu every few months to suit our supply.”
I ask him if there are any conflicts between fast-paced restaurant
demands and his slow-approach cooking methods, for example, his
dish of salted beef ceviche, prepared by being buried for two days?
“Carbon-less cooking in fact prolongs shelf-life so it actually helps
meet demand more seamlessly. There are some great advantages
for a chef,” he saidThat’s all well and good in Thailand’s warm climate
but what advice does Noble have for chefs abroad to incorporate
methods in their colder, urban climates?
“Air drying, salting, pickling – experiment with these as they’re all
great ways to pack in flavour and they are methods which don’t
need the sun.” Noble is a shining example, sun or no sun!
Beyond ‘Farm to Table’
In an age when chef-branded restaurant chains are being rolled-out
across the globe and generic dining brands are increasingly the norm,
this increasingly popular back to basics practice makes for a refreshing
approach – one that adds significantly to the consumer’s dining
experience. “With our approach, the staff are equally involved in
bringing our vision and story to life. They can name the chickens
that laid the eggs that become your omelette They can name not
only the ingredients but also the farmers and how far the produce
has come from. Guests love that,” he said.

“You can do things differently and succeed while also being
environmentally-friendly. Sustainability is at the core of who we
are as a resort, and it’s great when you can combine that with an
enhanced guest experience,”. At the same time, just like his solar
panels that are tucked discreetly under the thatched roof, Noble’s power
lies in a subtle approach:
“We try not to push [the issue of environmental conservation]
in customers’ faces. We want people to enjoy the place and
learn the story of the environment along the way. We whisper
our environmental conservation policy to our guests only
when asked.” It’s no wonder that for this modest and pioneering
approach the hotel scooped the prestigious title of the Best
Sustainable Hotel (Thailand) Award at the prestigious International
Hotel Awards. On leaving the resort and Thailand’s lush terrain,
as I cross the Andaman Sea with its island dubbed James Bond
in honour of the classic 007 movie here, I can’t hep thinking this
inspiring culinary approach is far less “live and let die” more like
“live and love Thai!”.
Thailand Culinary Food Map:
Northern Thailand
Governed by some of the most variable temperatures, the diverse
climate and terrain make for a bountiful abundance of fruits, herbs and
vegetables, many unique to these climes: from dry and cool winters
to the wet and humid monsoon season. The markets of Chiang Mai
and Chiang Rai are packed with local farmer’s daily-harvested fragrant
herbs, fresh leafy greens and aromas of ripe tropical fruits. Cuisine
of the region is typically light and zesty, lifted with zingy pickles, the
sharpness of shallots, garlic and the heat of fresh peppers. The fiery
nam prik (chilli dips) are typical of the style, and other popular dishes
include fiery flavours such as sai oua (a piquant pork sausage spiced
with fragrant lemongrass, kafir lime leaves, aromatic galangal, garlic
chilli and warmed with the medicinal tang of turmeric) or kap moo
(crispy fried pork skin) and gaeng hang lay moo (aromatic curry with
unctuous pork belly, pickled garlic and fresh fiery ginger). Minced meats
flecked with fresh herbs, such as the dish larb moo using pork, deliver
a complex yet unified blend of fresh, sour, spicy and savoury flavours.
A typical dish is the deceptively simple yet perfectly balanced favours
of the green papaya salad (som tam). This gloriously fragrant dish is
another of the regions staples that has gained international acclaim,
this time for its delicious clean flavour, lifted with lime juice, fish sauce,
dried shrimp sauce, chilli, garlic, palm sugar and sprinkled with crunchy
roasted peanuts. The influence of neighbouring Laos and Myanmar is
evident in the method of service too, and dishes are typically presented
with an accompanying platter of steamed vegetables and pickles. So
prized are these bourgeois offerings that they are literally presented on
a pedestal or Khantoke.
North eastern Thailand
The extreme climate here makes for a challenging agricultural
environment, where either drought in the warm seasons or
flooding in the monsoon period means that the ‘Esaan’ people
have learned to become resourceful in cultivation and cuisine. The
hardy staples of dense glutinous rice makes for a filling snack or
handy morsel that act as a sticky sponge to soak up sauces, soups
and spicy dips - nearly always enhanced with pla ra. This pungent
liquid seasoning stock (not dissimilar to nam pla fish sauce but far
more intense in umami taste) is made from fish long-fermented in
salt and rice bran, imbuing it with a distinctive tang. The principle
use of rice is also seen in its powder form in can larb, a mix of
minced pork, chicken beef or duck, herbs, shallots, chilli, lime and
palm sugar with toasted rice powder.
Eastern Thailand
This area draws on neighbouring Cambodia and the Gulf of
Thailand’s abundant source of fresh seafood in its cuisine. Fishing
boats line its shores and often, the daily catch of crabs, clams,
oysters, prawns, squid, mussels, fish, lobsters are often sold
directly to the seafood restaurants. Sen chan pad bu is a take on
pad thai that used two of the most abundant ingredients of the
land: crab meat and sen chan, a thin glutinous noodle. With good
rainfall and plenty of sunshine, there are copious amounts of
tropical fruits, with a plethora of mangosteen, pineapple, longan
and the infamous Durian – an offensive smelling yet deliciously
sweet fruit, so prized in the region that a dedicated festival is held
here annually to honour Thailand’s King of Fruits.
31
 Recipe by James Noble

Oxtail Anchovies Meatballs, Tom Yam sauce 

 I NG R E D I EN T S m e th o d

Sauce  Meatballs 1. To make the sauce, comfit the garlic for 3 hours in good olive oil
and bay leaves and lemon grass on a low heat
●● I kg Aleenta grown heirloom ●● 2kg Oxtail  2. Cool 
tomatoes ●● 50g Capers 3. Fry the onions , galangal , and lemongrass with the washed
●● 100g  Comfit garlic ●● 100g Anchovies tomatoes and add the comfit garlic past and palm sugar
●● 200g Red onion  ●● 100g Onions 4. Simmer for 2 hours with crushed chilli, bay leaf and fish sauce 
●● 2 Fresh Bay leaf  ●● Bread crumbs  5. Blend the sauce and pass, if you prefer chunky lightly blend and
●● 20g Fresh oregano ●● Aleenta made mulberry jam  don’t pass
●● Balsamic vinegar ●● 50g Pork fat 6. Adjust seasoning with fish sauce and sugar and set aside
●● 100g Pak nam Palm sugar   7. Put oxtail in a pressure cooker for 1.5 hours with onions and
●● 50g Sustainable Galangal  carrots
●● 50g Aleenta Lemon grass 8. Remove carefully and allow to cool 
●● 2 Farm chili 9. Mince the oxtail with minced pork fat and oxtail cooking stock ,
●● 50g Fish sauce  ( careful not too make wet )
  10. Add capers and breadcrumbs and mulberry jam to the mix and
form into small balls
11. Simmer the balls in tomato sauce and add to a
gratanating  dish and cover with bread crumbs and aged
parmesan 
12. Serve with a little reduced oxtail stock and garnishe with
tomato skins, we serve with comfit garlic dough balls but also
good over tarragon linguine

32
G a n a c h e : D avid Girard

David shares 3 of his

favourite recipes using
Cacao Barry Chocolate
H
ailing from Provence in the South of France, David Girard first came to
work in London simply with the intention of improving his English and
moving back to France. But the lure of London proved strong and today,
he is firmly established at the helm of one of the capital’s most quintessentially
British establishments, The Dorchester. Executive Pastry Chef there since 2012
David, has held the prestigious post to great acclaim, matching well the exacting
standards expected of this Grand-Dame establishment. Famously for his first
Christmas there, he paid homage to this legendary hotel by re-creating an exact
replica of it, entirely made with 7,000 pieces of Gingerbread! Clearly motivated,
he describes his current role as the biggest challenge of his career so far – one
that involves overseeing a staggering 250 afternoon tea presentations served
daily in its plush Promenade!. 17 years of training gave him the skills to succeed:
previously, David has worked as Head Pastry Chef at nearby Morton’s Club,
the exclusive Mayfair private member’s club, part of MARC group’s impressive
portfolio of establishments (including two-Michelin starred Umu and The
Greenhouse). Having started at Restaurant Alain Ducasse in Monaco as a demi
chef de partie and progressing through to Ducasse’s La Bastide de Moustier as
pastry sous chef David was taken under the wing of his mentor, Frederic Robert
(Alain Ducasse’s corporate pastry chef) before moving to London, as group
pastry chef de partie and group pastry sous chef at Morgan’s group hotel’s
SPOON at Sanderson Hotel. This year, David marks his 4th year in his present
role by transporting his talents from the swish surrounds of The Dorchester to
the equally illustrious British RHS Chelsea Flower Show, serving his afternoon
tea in a bespoke pop-up pavilion.
As he told Namai Bishop before the show “I’m very excited to be taking my
creations outside the hotel for the first time to showcase the fine work that we
do to a wider audience in a context that similarly reflects all the heritage and
grandeur of The Promenade.”

34
 Recipe by David Girard

Garden basket
The Garden Basket was created for Chelsea flower show. It is in my opinion the perfect reflection of what Chelsea flower
show Afternoon Tea represents.

Use a rectangular chocolate case m e th o d Hazelnuts Chocolate Cremeux

Melt the Gianduja slowly on a bain marie then Yield 150 portions
Hazelnuts mousse cool down and fold the whipped cream into
Yield 90 portions the Gianduja. Custard cream
Make 10g per portion.
I NG R E D I EN T S I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 600g whipping cream Feuillantine base ●● 250g whipping cream
●● 375g hezelnuts Gianduja Plaisir Yield 150 portions ●● 250g milk
Cacao Barry ●● 100g Yolks
I NG R E D I EN T S ●● 50g Caster sugar
●● 500g feuillantine ●● 450g of Gianduja Plaisir Cacao Barry
●● 150g roasted hazelnuts flake
●● 150g praline m e th o d
●● 350g Nutella Mix the milk and the cream bring to the boil
and poor it over the yolks and sugar then mix.
Put all together in a pan and cook at 82 C.
m e th o d Add the custard cream to already melted
Warm up the praline add the Nutella then Gianduja Plaisir.
gently add the feuillantine and hazelnuts.
Make 7g per portion. To build it
Start with the feuillantine then add the
cremeux and then the gianduja mousse

36
 Recipe by David Girard

HAZELNUT
recipe
The Palet is one of the most classic and simple
desserts you can have for a chocolate lover but
it has everything you want with the texture. The
biscuit base is crispy, crunchy and the delicate
fondant is strong in chocolate but also light

PRALINE FEUILLETE PROFITEROLLE SAUCE

For 1 tray 60x40cm
I NG R E D I EN T S
I NG R E D I EN T S ●● 2 litre Water
●● 600g Nougatine of Pine Nuts ●● 2. 700 kg Caster Sugar
HAZELNUT DACQUOISE ●● 150g Milk Chocolate ●● 1 kg. Cacao Barry
For 6 trays 60x40cm Cacao Barry Alunga ●● 1 litre of Double Cream
●● 200g Paillete Feuillete
I NG R E D I EN T S m e th o d
●● 1650g Egg White room temperature m e th o d Bring the water to boiling point and add sugar
●● 700g Whipping Cream Blend the pine nuts until they become a paste to make a syrup.
●● 200g Caster Sugar speed 1 in a Thermomix. Add the cocoa powder to the syrup
●● 1700g Ground Hazelnut Add the melted chocolate into the pine nut and whisk quickly.
●● 1300g Icing Sugar paste. Then add the cream to the cocoa syrup.
Add to the mix gently. At the end add the syrup very gently to the
m e th o d Put 900 gr. of praline feuillete on each ganache to create the emulsion but do not
Crème de Tartare tray of dacquoise and make flat with a make any air bubbles.
Whisk the egg white and cream of tartare palette knife and put into a refrigerator Sieve the chocolate mix into the container.
at speed 1 then change in speed 2 in a until set chocolate mix. Then leave to cool down. When arrives at the
Thermomix. CHOCOLATE GANACHE temperature make the chocolate mousse.
Add a little of sugar at a time and when you
have added all the sugar put on full speed to I NG R E D I EN T S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
finish. ●● 2.700 kg Whipping Cream
Mix and Sieve the ground hazelnut and icing ●● 3 kg Dark Chocolate Cacao Barry Inaya I NG R E D I EN T S
sugar. Fold into the meringue gently then put ●● 800g Chocolate Mix
gr. 750 gr. on each tray with silicone paper and m e th o d ●● 700g Whipping Cream
make flat then sprinkle with icing sugar and Bring the cream to the boil.
bake at 190ºc for 13 minutes. Poor the cream gently onto the chocolate m e th o d
Cool dow on the rack then take off the paper Mix together at right temperature and pour
and put in a single. Tray then put a rectangle into the frame and fill to 2cm high then put
frame on and cut all the excess. into the freezer to set. Then cut in fingers
ready to glaze.
Use the chocolate mix.

Alunga™
A slightly sweet milk chocolate with a dominant taste of
cocoa and milk. A “new generation” chocolate with a pure
and intense taste of cocoa, thanks to the new and unique
method of fermentation
Inaya™
An intense cocoa taste with a good balance between
bitterness and acidic notes. A “new generation” chocolate
with a pure and intense taste of cocoa, thanks to the new
and unique method of fermentation

37
 Recipe by David Girard

Tanzania Chocolate
Mango Desire

Tanzania Chocolate Mango Desire is a dessert created by myself and

Alexis who works with me at the Dorchester. It was created for the
competition, Dessert of the Year organised by the Association of Pastry
Chefs And I am pleased to say she won the competition after training
for two months every single day repeating the whole process of
producing the dessert including its presentation
We were all very pleased that Alexis won the coveted prize
Size 3cm x 11cm

Flourless Chocolate Sponge Mango Lemon Thyme Bavaroise + Pulled sugar

Clear gel drop décor
I NG R E D I EN T S I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 320g yolks I NG R E D I EN T S ●● 500g fondant
●● 180g sugar ●● 200g cream ●● 500g glucose
●● 640g egg white ●● 200g milk ●● 200g isomalt
●● 340g sugar ●● 160g sugar
●● 200g cocoa powder Cacao Barry ●● 192g egg yolk
●● 25.6g gelatin m e th o d
m e th o d ●● 400g puree mango Cook the three together at 160C
Whip the yolks and sugar until foam (pate a ●● 640g whipped cream
bombe ) Banana Coconut and Lime sorbet
Make a meringue with the egg white and the m e th o d
sugar then add the cocoa powder Mix the milk and the cream bring to the boil and I NG R E D I EN T S
Add the meringue gently to the bombe poor over the previously mixed egg yolks and sugar. ●● 180g milk
Put it all together in the pan and cook at 82 C add ●● 204g sugar
Rice Krispy Crunch the gelatin previously soaked in cold water ●● 480g coconut milk with no sugar
Add the mango puree and the whipped cream. ●● 54g lime juice
I NG R E D I EN T S Set in the pipe ●● 120g ripe bananas
●● 100g Rice Krispies ●● 3 units lime zest
●● 200g Hazelnut praline Dark Chocolate ganache
●● 160g Dark Chocolate Cacao Barry Inaya m e th o d
●● Pinch of Fleur de Sel I NG R E D I EN T S Make syrup with sugar and milk and cool
●● 200g Cream down.
m e th o d ●● 268g Dark Chocolate Cacao Barry Mash bananas in the lime juice and mix with
Melt the chocolate with the praline and the Tanzanie other elements.
salt, then add carefully the Rice Krispies. ●● 36g trimoline Pour in pacojet and freeze.
Flat down on a tray ●● Boil the cream and the tremoline poor
over the chocolate and mix gently to
obtain a ganach

m e th o d
After tempering the chocolate With Haiti
chocolate cut into a sheet measuring 3cm
by 11cm This will be use for the flat chocolate
decoration

38
G a n a c h e : É C OLE R I T Z E S C OFF I E R P A R I S

“Tradition meets

40
After three years of renovation and just a few weeks before Ritz Paris reopened on 5
June,s on 5th of June, Christophe Messina, Pastry chef at École Ritz Escoffier, visited
Athens for a unique pastry demonstration. The first official reappearance of Ritz Paris
and École Ritz Escoffier worldwide, included a two-day seminar for Greek pastry
chefs, which took place on 10 and 11 May “Odos Kassandras in Athens.”

evolution” About Pastry Chef Christophe Messina

T
he recipes that were showcased
combined traditional tastes with modern
techniques perfectly and represented the
unparalleled elegance of classic French pastry.
The first day of the demonstration aimed at
connecting traditional with modern pastry along
with an introduction to classical pasty recipes by
the man who can be seen at the godfather of
patry – the iconic French chef, Auguste Escoffier.
His famous recipes included the delicate - and
gluten free - “Fraises Sarah-Bernhardt” that
was created in honour of the famous actress
consisted of pineapple sorbet, strawberries and
pineapple marinated in champagne and half-
baked meringue. Peche melba, a dessert created
by Escoffier for the Australian singer Dame Nellie
Melba in 1893, was created in a different style
and presented as “Meli Melo of Peche Melba”
made by poached peaches, raspberry juice,
peach jelly, raspberry and hibiscus sauce, vanilla
ice-cream and caramelised almonds. The first
day ended with a velvety “Montmorency iced
soufflé” with almond biscuit and raspberry juice,
glaze and sauce.
Pastry Chef Christophe Messina from École Ritz Escoffier / Ritz Paris Hotel, started his career as
part of the renowned Pierre Hermé's team and then worked at chef Jaques Chibois' 2 ** Michelin
restaurant “Bastide”. He collaborated with Guy Savoy for two years in his awarded 3*** Michelin
restaurant but also in the 1* Michelin “Chiberta” restaurant, which he also owned. After leaving
France, he became Head Pastry Chef at “Abode Glasgow” Hotel, where he created the desserts for
Chef Michael Caines's fine dining restaurant. In 2010 he joined the opening team of the Shangri-La
hotel in Paris, worked there until December 2015 and this year he started cooperating with Ritz
Paris, as pastry professor at École Ritz Escoffier.
Assistant Chefs: Giorgos Giotas, Apostolis Giotas, Alexandra Mimikou, Filippos Karakidis,
Sotirios Laskaridis, Lamprini Mastora, Filippos Siakantaris, Aggelos
On the second day, the talented and experienced enjoy the trip of a lifetime.
pastry chef presented recipes using the latest One lucky participant who a free ticket for two
pastry techniques that are currently used people to Paris – courtesy of Delifrance – while a
worldwide. He started by making crisp and fluffy second person who at a training programme
pâté à choux to create a tastyfor profiterole with École Ritz Escoffier.
mango, sesame and chocolate-coconut sauce. The program was organised by The Greek
The creamy raspberry nougat with peach, fig Tourism Confederation (SETE) and coordinated
and caramelised nuts was next and the epilogue by Gastronomy Essentials Ltd. It was under the
included a chocolate and However the seminar auspices of the French Embassy and Institut
wasn’t just about tasting some of the most sublime Français in Greece and supported by the
desserts – it gave one participant the opportunity to “Hellenic Pastry Chefs Club”.

41
G A N ACHE : S im o n J e n ki n s

Why Do
I choose
FELCHLIN Our passion I Your success in
somewhere as it is their ethos….

For the pastry Chef we have many choices of Chocolate to choose from,
and we often make the choice based on what we are most happy to work
with. I have considered and worked with all the obvious chocolate available and
decided 3 years ago to work with Felchlin
42
F
or the pastry chef we have many choices
of chocolate to choose from and we often
make the choice based on what we are
most happy to work with. Over the years I have
worked with numerous brands of chocolate
until deciding three years that Felchin was my
best choice. I strongly advise all pastry chefs
and chefs to look, taste and work with a range
ofthe chocolate available and come to your
your own conclusions before deciding what
is good for you, but I have to say that Felchin
definitely should be given consideration.
Felchlin invests a great deal of care,
experience and time in transforming the seeds
of these fruits from the tropical Rain Forest
into melt-in-the-mouth chocolate.
They are passionate about producing fine
couverture, which is the product of a variety
of specialist processes tailored to achieve
maximum pleasure.
“We produce chocolate in our small factory
in Schwyz Switzerland and are happy to
share the secrets of its wonderful flavours
with those who really appreciate it,” said CEO,
Christian Aschwanden.
A long standing company with more than100
years of history behind them, the company
was born in 1908 started by Max Felchlin
who began his career trading with honey in
Schwyz,Switzerland. The company started to
trade in chocolate from 1923 and as the rest is
history, with the company that has gone from
strength to strength.
Their training ground the Condirama was
bought to fruition in1988, since then it has
shared a wealth of knowledge to thousands
of passionate individuals and offers a great
training ground for pastry chefs, bakers and
confectioners alike from all around the globe.
The facility in Schwyz is a fantastic tool for any
professional. Seminars are usually based on
a three day visit, in a centre which has been
set up to showcase the history and quality of
Felchlin, learning from the top quality pastry
chefs and chocolatiers who work there who
demonstrate and teach in such a way that it
becomes very easy and clear to understand.
From learning in practical demo situations,
or hands-on praline making the techniques
are full of both technicial detail coupled with
tasting exercises, all culminating in an intense
yet relaxed training seminar..
Since I have been using the chocolate I feel
quite safe in saying that it is easily one of the
best couvertures I have used throughout my
career so far. Praise indeed given that that I
have tried most of the other well known, high
end couvertures on the market, but Felchlin
surpasses all expectations.
Having recently achieved a gold and bronze
medal in dark and milk chocolate classes at
the Uk Academy of Chocolate awards at the
UK using Felchlin, not to mention the other
classes where Felchlin achieved awards, I think
it goes to show it is up there with the very best
in couvertures and can compete quite easily
with other producers.
Please see below the main profiles of the dark
chocolate and the milk chocolate I used for my
award-winning chocolates.
For the dark chocolate I used a Cru Sauvage
couverture made from wild cacao from the
province of Beni, Bolvia is a 68% couverture
with a 60h conch process.
It is made with rare wild Bolivian cocoa beans.
Couverture from wild beans”. The cocoa
complements the freshness of lemon and
grapefruit fruitiness, The 60 hour conching
process brings out the intense dried prune and
vanilla bouquet. This has a superbly pleasant
fruit acid note and a long-lasting finish.
Cacao Cacao
8 8
6 6
Finish 4 Fruit note Finish 4 Milk/Cream
2 2
0 0
Butter Fruit acid Vanilla Caramel
Sweet Sweet
For my milk chocolate I used a grand Cru I have a soft spot for Switzerland, from cow
couverture, originating in Rio Huimbi, bells to couverture and being able to say
Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and has a 42% cocoa my preferred chocolate is produced there,
solids. The first profiles of this milk chocolate is gratifying and also makes me feel that
are characterised by strong cacao notes drawn I am using something unique and special.
through a pleasant milky flavour, an almost Currently understated in the UK market
savoury feel, with an interaction of fine caramel which I am sure will change in the very new
and discreet malt aromas adds definition to future,it it feel like you are working with an
the taste experience. The prolonged finish undiscovered gem.
is complimented by a nutty butter note with
a caress of sweetness which makes the Rio The main users of Felchlin are naturally Swiss
Huimbi a beautiful milk chocolate. with approx. 50% of production going to their
43
 home country, followed by UAE, America,
France, Italy, Germany and here in the UK.
Compared to other couvertures here at home,
they are little known, but in time they hope
to grow in stature and become a dominant
force in the UK in the restaurant, hotel and the
patisserie scene to become the Patissier’s first
choice for couverture over other producers
because of their quality, consistency, profile on
flavour, texture, mouth feel and uniqueness.
There are many demands from Felchlin
customers, but more recently the demand
for dark chocolate is continuously increasing
due to trends such as vegan, superfoods,
or the fact that there are more people with
lactose intolerance. In the Asian market for
example there is a need for sophisticated
desserts requiring fine chocolate, whether it is
dark, milk or white chocolate. The awareness
of handmade pralines, special flavoured
chocolate and desserts made with the best
couverture is increasing tremendously. The
appreciation of exclusive chocolate is rising.
Nowadays where food is not just a necessity
but a leisure acticity, people want to know
what they are consuming and where its origins
are. Single origin is gaining momentum in
chocolate, so Felchlin have worked tirelessly
directly with the same cocoa farmers for many
years to source exactly what they require for
their production, whether it be a single origin
bean, or to maintain continued quality for one
of their other delightful couvertures.
44 G A N A C H E : S im o n J e n ki n s
Based on a genuine partnership, both
parties know exactly what is needed to
create a quality, economically valuable
and sustainable product, which is greatly
appreciated by all end consumers alike. They
collaborate closely with more than 50 cocoa
farmers to fulfil the Felchlin cacao charter,
based on quality and sustainability which can
be found on their website.
Sustainability centres around respect for
people and nature through working together
to meet specific needs, ensuring prosperity
and wealth for all, without compromising
the future so that generations to come
may also enjoy continued ecological and
economic prosperity through chocolate. They
contribute to sustainability by adhering to
strict guidelines when procuring cacao. The
company promotes and works closely with
farmers and partners on location with the aim
of acquiring sustainable high quality cacao
and working environment.
Felchlin provides its customers with a
consistently high end product and have
directly collaborated with the same cocoa
farmers for many years. Therefore they
have built up a partner base relationship
in countries including Ecuador, Bolivia,
Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Grenada,
Madagascar, Costa Rica.
For their latest Grand Cru Couverture creation
they are cleverly using Fresh Swiss milk from
the UNESCO World Heritage region combined
with organic cacao butter from the Dominican
Republic to create a wonderful rich milk and
creamy feeling couverture both in white and
milk chocolate.
Trying to keep ahead of the competition is an
ongoing task, they highly value their “from
bean to bar” concept. The value for each
product begins when opening a cacao bean
sack and concludes with the packaging of the
final product. Compared to many competitors,
Felchin do not buy finished cacao mass but
instead buy the beans themselves directly
through the close relationship with the farmers.
They also have a great support network for
their customers, new ideas, creations and
concepts are developed to help support
the production of pralines, chocolates and
fillings for customers. Additional services are
offered in the form of seminars, schooling and
technical support. They strive to share their
knowledge and passion for the artisanal way.
They are also able to provide solutions to meet
the needs of individual pastry chefs and help
resolve technical issues, due to the know-how
of their expert team which has knowledge
gathered over many years.
Felchin also has
the ability to create bespoke products in their
development kitchen, which means they have
a closer relationship with the customer and
their specific needs. The soul supplier in the
UK are Town and Country fine foods
www.tcfinefoods.co.uk
 Recipe by Simon Jenkins
BOLIVIA 68%, LEMON,
CHOCOLATE ENTREMET
Serves 8 portions
Shelf life in fridge 2 days
Lemon cream
●● 70g Whole eggs
●● 20g Egg yolks
●● 100g Unsalted butter
●● 115g Caster sugar
●● 100g Lemon juice
●● 20g Lemon zest
●● 3.5g Fish gelatine
●● 20g Water
m e th o d
1. Bring the lemon juice, zest and
sugar up to 70c
2. Soak the gelatine in the water
3. Whisk together the eggs and
yolks and pour half the hot
juice over them whisking well
together
4. Mix whole mixture back
together in the saucepan and
whisk over a low heat
5. The mix will start to thicken like
a custard, at the first boil and
once thick remove and pour
immediately into a thermomix
start mixing on a low speed,
then add the lemon juice, and
the gelatine dissolve
6. Mix for 5-10 minutes, then
slowly drop room temperature
pieces of butter in whilst the
mix is moving
7. Once well blended together
and nice and smooth, pour
through a chinois into a 7.5cm
diameter ring which has been
pre lined with clingfilm set in
the fridge for 30 minutes, then
place in the blast freezer
Chocolate pain de gene
●● 160g Lubecca marzipan
●● 155g Whole eggs
●● 40g Caster sugar
●● 50g Unsalted butter
●● 30g T55 pastry flour
●● 2.5g Baking powder
(Sieve together)
m e th o d
1. Place the marzipan into a
thermo mix, blend and warm
slightly, add the sugar and
blend again
2. Gradually add the eggs mix
until smooth
3. Slowly add the melted
butter make sure the mix is
completely smooth
4. Add the flour, cocoa, bp mix
5. Mix until smooth
6. Place the mix onto a pre lined
high sided tray
7. Bake at 150c for 12-14 minutes
in a convection oven take out,
cool and cut a disc at 7.5 inch
8. Set aside.
Hazelnut dacquoise
●● 150g Egg white
●● 150g Caster sugar
●● 120g Hazelnut powder
●● 30g Flour, gluten free
●● 150g Icing sugar
m e th o d
1. Sieve the flour, hazelnut
powder and icing sugar
together
2. Whip the egg white with the
sugar until firm
3. mix gently both sets of
ingredients
4. Spread on a silpat mat at a
height of 1cm between two
rods
5. Cook at 160°C for about 12 –
14mins
6. Remove from the oven, and cut
a disc out at 7.5 cm
7. Set aside and cool, once cool
spread a thin layer of tempered
chocolate the base side and
set chocolate side down on
silicone paper
Bolivia 68% sabayon
mousse
●● 120g Egg yolks
●● 65g Caster sugar
●● 310g 68% 60 hour dark
chocolate
●● 470g Whipping cream,
semi whipped uht
Milk chocolate glacage
●● 340g Maracaibo Criolait
38% chocolate
●● 225g UHT whipping cream
●● 150g Clear gel glaze
m e th o d
1. Melt chocolate to 40c
2. Heat clear gel to 60c
3. Boil the cream and emulsify
with the chocolate to make a
ganache
4. Mix with the clear gel, bamix
but do not put air inside
5. Clingfilm and reserve
m e th o d
1. Whip the cream to light ribbon
stage and reserve in the fridge
2. Melt the chocolate to 45°C
3. Whisk the yolks on speed 3
4. Boil the sugar to 115°C then
add to the yolks on speed 2, to
form a sabayon, take
off when the mixture has
cooled down
5. Add 1/5 of the cream to the
chocolate, mixing fast and
smooth, to form a ganache
then add this to the remainder
of the cream, whisking all the
time, then fold in the sabayon.
6. Finally whisk in the sabayon
until smooth use immediately
M o n ta g e
1. Place the dacquiose in the
centre of an 8inch ring mould
2. Then using the chocolate
mousse, fill the gap between
the mould and dacquiose,
making sure there is no air
trapped, then pull the mousse
up the sides of the mould
3. Lightly cover the biscuit, to
2mm thick all over
4. Next place in the pain de gene,
making sure it is level, and
centred, again lightly cover with
2mm of chocolate mousse
5. Finally add the frozen lemon
insert, again centred
6. Then mask the lemon off with
the mousse, and then fill the
mould and flatten off to the
top of the mould
7. Place in the freezer to set
8. Once frozen, demould, and
lightly smooth of the top
edge, then re freeze
9. Heat the glaze to approx. 35c,
then glaze the entremet with
no air bubble or runs
10. Clean the Base edge oof glaze,
and store on a 8inch cake board
11. Decorate with white and red
chocolate squares around
the edge, and large copeaux
ontop
45
I ngr e di e nt : M ar g u e rit e

Croquants from
Marguerite
The Croquants from Marguerite are an amazing range, sure to add some creativity to your recipes.
They are ready to use pastes that will bring a nice flavour and texture to any of your creations. Open the pail, scoop the required quantity, bring to
temperature and roll out. Simple as that!
There are many ways to use the Croquants: truffles, bonbons, as a layer in a cake or entremet, ice cream or to create a crunchy heart for your
fondant or your muffin (praline croquant can be used on its own. For all other flavours you will have to coat the croquant heart first with a thin layer
of almond paste, for example).

Classic Fine Foods offer seven exciting flavours: 

Red fruits Lemon meringue Caramel with fleur de sel

Pure cocoa butter white chocolate, soft Made with lemon, meringue and pure cocoa Caramel with fleur de sel paste blended with
strawberry and raspberry pieces with crunchy butter white chocolate. pure cocoa butter white chocolate.
inclusions. An authentic and slightly acidic taste of lemon Contains shortbread biscuits slivers that give
A slightly acidic taste that balances the perfectly balanced with the sweetness of a crispy and fondant texture.
sweetness of the white chocolate.  meringue and white chocolate.

White chocolate Speculoos Praline Pistachio almond

With pure cocoa butter white
chocolate.
It gives a delicate touch to your
gourmet creations.
A perfect blend of speculoos, pure
cocoa butter white chocolate and
crunchy biscuit pieces.
A trendy and easy to use recipe for
crispy results.
An elegant blend of pure cocoa
butter milk chocolate, praline and
crepe biscuit pieces.
Crunchy, fondant and delicately
chocolaty.
A delicious paste blending
almond pistachio praline, pure
cocoa butter white chocolate and
crunchy inclusions.
An authentic pistachio taste.

46
 Recipe by Classic Fine foods

The Forbidden Fruit with caramel

with fleur de sel Croquant
Recipe for 12 pieces

Calvados Flambed Apples

I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 350g Apples diced fruit filling
●● 50g Salted butter
●● 30g Sugar
●● 50g Calvados

m e th o d
Lightly brown the apples in the butter and
sugar until lightly caramelised. Remove from
the heat and flambe with the Calvados

Joconde Sponge

I NG R E D I EN T S
●● 150g Eggs100 g Icing sugar
●● 100g Marguerite Blanched
almond powder
●● 30g Flour
●● 25g Butter
●● 200g Egg whites around 1/3 of the hot liquid onto the chopped Cut 12 joconde biscuit discs Ø 5 cm and put
●● 50g Sugar chocolate and using a whisk mix until you aside. Line the molds “Apple” (Ø 7.3 cm H.
obtain a mixture which is smooth, elastic and 5.8 cm) with white Chocolate using a brush.
m e th o d shiny. Add the rest of the remaining milk while Line the bottom part of the apple mold with
Whip the icing sugar, blanched almond at the same time keeping the original texture. Marguerite CARAMEL WITH FLEUR DE SEL
powder, eggs and flour together. When the mix is at 35/40°C fold in the lightly CROQUANT using a tea spoon (30g/ mold)
Add the hot melted butter and then the egg whipped cream. and deep freeze.
whites whipped with sugar. Fill the top part of the apple mold with white
Weigh 650 g / tray 60x40 cm. Crunchy Caramel Fleur de Sel chocolate mousse and place a joconde biscuit
Bake +/-8 min at 230°C in a fan oven disc. Deep freeze.
I NG R E D I EN T S Fill the bottom part of the apple mold with
White Chocolate Mousse ●● 360g Marguerite CARAMEL white chocolate mousse and insert in the
WITH FLEUR DE SEL CROQUANT middle a half sphere of flambéed apple.
I NG R E D I EN T S Place the top and assemble the two parts
●● 2 Pcs Gelatine sheet m e th o d carefully so that they are perfectly symmetric.
●● 250g Milk Modify the temperature to obtain the desired Deep freeze.
●● 400g White chocolate 29% texture. Remove from the mould and spray with a
●● 600g Dairy cream 35% red chocolate velvet (50/50 cacao butter and
Assembly and Finishing white Chocolate 29 % + red coloring).
m e th o d Make a stem with Dark Chocolate 64% and
Immerse the gelatin sheet in a bowl of cold Fill the Flexipan® "Demi-sphères" (Ø 42 mm. decorate with three drops of Marguerite‘Royal
water and leave to soften. Boil the milk and depth. 21 mm) with the flambed apple and put Miroir’ neutral glazing using a paper cone.
add the well-drained gelatin sheets. Pour in a blast freezer.

This ingredient and recipe is bought to you by Classic Fine Foods who bring you the very best from around the
world. We work hard at sourcing great value, innovative and artisan products, building and maintaining our strong
relationships with producers we are proud to call our partners Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information!
Telephone: 0207 627 9666 1 sales@classicfinefoods.co.uk 1 www.classicfinefoods.co.uk

47
M a in I ngr e di e nt

Valrhona Itakuja
55 % dark
chocolate
V
alrhona Itakuja 55% dark chocolate Pure Brazil is part of
the double fermentation range, an exclusive new range of
naturally fruity chocolates developed through 10 years of
close collaboration with growers. With this innovative process,
Valrhona redraws the boundaries of chocolate and paves the way
for a new generation of aromatic profiles.

What is double fermentation?

Fermentation is a natural process, specific to each type of cocoa

beans, which instigates the development of aromas and flavours.
The beans are placed into wood, rattan, or concrete boxes, then
covered and stirred regularly throughout the 4 - 6 day fermentation
period. When the first fermentation period is complete and the initial
aromas unveiled, a new ingredient is introduced into the boxes of
cocoa beans to initiate a second phase of fermentation. Valrhona
experts came up with the idea of adding fruit pulp, naturally high in
sugar, which triggers a second fermentation phase that imparts new
distinctive aromatic qualities to the chocolate created.

Itakuja 55% dark chocolate Pure Brazil is characterized by an

explosion of fruity aromas at the start, which gradually give way
to the roundness of this chocolate from Brazil. Distinctive flavour
precursors native to the terroir are developed in a first fermen-
tation phase. A second fermentation period is initiated with the
introduction of locally harvested passion fruit, which infuses
the cocoa beans with fruity notes. It’s a complete symbiosis of
chocolate and passion fruit: the infused passion fruit flavours are
in perfect harmony with the chocolate aromas.

48
 Recipe by Nicolas Riveau, Pastry Chef at École Valrhona
SUSPENSION
Makes 48 desserts
ITAKUJA NAMELAKA
●● 470g Whole milk
●● 25g Glucose
●● 12g Gelatin
●● 660g ITAKUJA 55% COUVERTURE
CHOCOLATE
●● 940g Liquid whipping cream 35%
Heat the milk with the glucose, then
add the rehydrated gelatin. Slowly pour
this mixture over the melted couverture
chocolate. Immediately mix using an
electric mixer to make a perfect emul-
sion. Add the cold liquid cream. Use the
electric mixer to mix again. Leave to
stiffen in the fridge, preferably over-
night.
ITAKUJA 55% MILK ICE CREAM
●● 1010g Whole milk
●● 52g 0% fat powdered milk
●● 66g Sugar
●● 96g Atomized glucose
●● 32g Inverted sugar
●● 8g Liquid whipping cream 35%
●● 6g Combined stabilizer
●● 288g ITAKUJA 55% COUVERTURE
CHOCOLATE
Heat the milk. Once it is at 75°F (25°C),
add the 0% fat powdered milk. Once
it is at 85°F (30°C), add the sugars
(sugar, atomized glucose and inverted
sugar). Once it is at 105°F (40°C), add
the cream. Once it is at 115°F (45°C),
incorporate the stabilizer and emulsifier
mixture with a portion of the sugar you
used initially (approx. 10%).
Once it is at 140°F (60°C), pour a small
amount of the liquid (two-thirds of
the weight of the chocolate) onto the
partially melted chocolate. Mix in an
electric mixer as soon as possible and
gradually add the rest. Mix to form a
perfect emulsion. Pasteurize at 185°F
(85°C) for 2 minutes then quickly cool
the mixture to 40°F (4°C). Leave to
sit for at least 12 hours at 40°F (4°C).
Mix in an electric mixer and churn at
between 15-20°F (-6°C to -10°C).
This ingredient and recipe is bought to you by Classic Fine Foods who bring you the very best from around the
world. We work hard at sourcing great value, innovative and artisan products, building and maintaining our strong
relationships with producers we are proud to call our partners Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information!
Telephone: 0207 627 9666 1 sales@classicfinefoods.co.uk 1 www.classicfinefoods.co.uk
Beat together the egg yolks, eggs and
sugar with a whisk. At the same time, beat
the egg whites with the dark brown sugar.
Gradually mix together the two mixtures
while adding the flour and cocoa powder
which you have sifted together in advance.
ITAKUJA SPRAY MIX
●● 60g COCOA BUTTER
●● 140g ITAKUJA 55% COUVERTURE
CHOCOLATE
Melt all the ingredients together then spray
at a temperature of 104-113°F (40-45°C).
ITAKUJA CHOCOLATE SAUCE
●● 860g Whole milk ASSEMBLY AND FINISHING
●● 220g Liquid whipping cream 35% PRESENTATION
●● 770g ITAKUJA 55% COUVERTURE Prepare the namelaka, ice cream and
CHOCOLATE chocolate sauce. Make the cocoa streusel
Bring the milk and the liquid whipping and sieve out 250g. Use the rest to make
cream to the boil. little clusters. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for ap-
Slowly pour this hot mixture over the melt- prox. 15 minutes. Prepare the biscuit then
ed couverture chocolate. Immediately mix place 1000g into a 30x40cm tray. Sprinkle
using an electric mixer to make a perfect on 250g of cooked cocoa streusel. Bake
emulsion. Store in the fridge. at 355°F (180°C) for approx. 15 minutes.
Once the biscuit has cooled, cut out 4cm
ÉCLAT D’OR CHOCOLATE diameter disks. For the chocolate deco-
STREUSEL rations: Use the tempered dark spray gun
●● 75g Powdered almonds mixture to brush lines onto confectionery
●● 55g Brown sugar dipping paper. Once these have hardened
●● 55g Flour somewhat, use a brush to scatter the spar-
●● 20g COCOA POWDER kling gold powder on evenly. Thinly spread
●● 1g Salt the tempered dark couverture between
●● 75g Dry butter 84% two sheets of confectionery dipping paper.
●● 20g ÉCLAT D‘OR Before it has completely hardened, cut out
10cm diameter disks and use a cutter to cut
Sieve the powders together. Add the finely an oval shape into the center of the dec-
cubed butter and Éclat d’Or crispy wafer oration – This will stop the quenelle from
flakes. Mix all the ingredients using the flat slipping away during assembly. Leave to
beater in an electric mixer. First small balls harden.
will form, then you will get a streusel mix
which is only slightly homogenized. Stop ASSEMBLY
mixing. Put a biscuit in the base of a dish. Use a
Bake at 300°F (150°C). sultane nozzle to pipe on the namelaka
until the biscuit is completely covered (ap-
COCOA BISCUIT prox. 40g). Place a few fresh halved rasp-
●● 115g Egg yolks berries in the namelaka’s hollow. Place a
●● 300g Whole eggs chocolate disk on the namelaka. Decorate
●● 225g Sugar the top of the disk with halved raspberries,
●● 190g Egg whites the streusel clusters, and Absolu Cristal
●● 85g Dark brown sugar jellied passionfruit juice. Heat the sauce
●● 75g French white pastry flour and place it in a sauce jug. Complete with
●● 70g COCOA POWDER an ice cream quenelle.
I ngr e di e nt : Gr o ix e t Nat u r e
GIVE YOUR
DISHES THAT
EXTRA
SPECIAL TASTE

Based off the coast of Lorient in Southern Brittany (France), the Groix &
Nature canning company proudly brings you its Lobster Oil, an innovative
product offering a new culinary use for lobster. Made the traditional way from
blue lobster, this fully natural oil adds a brand new lobster flavour to your recipes. This
artisanal product offers an authentic taste with a recipe made with 44% of lobster.
There are a thousand and one different ways of cooking with our Lobster Oil.

TIPS AND IDEAS

Lobster Oil is a wonderful and innovative culinary aid that can be used
in everyday dishes. Here are a few simple ways you can add a gourmet
touch to your cuisine!
Dressings:
●● Make your mayonnaise using 10% Lobster Oil – ideal to go with
seafood.
●● Marinades, white sauces, vinaigrettes, etc.
Starters:
●● Seasoning for sushi, tartar sauces, and prawn carpaccios
●● Add few drops of Lobster Oil on fresh cheese crackers
Main courses:
●● Raw vegetable tagliatelle with Lobster Oil
●● Eggs Mimosa with a few drops of Lobster Oil
●● Seafood risotto or paella seasoned with Lobster Oil
●● Toasted sandwiches with a difference: White sauce made
with Lobster Oil
●● Mashed potatoes with Lobster Oil

50
 Recipe by Classic fine foods

Tartare of scallops with kiwi fruit

and lobster oil
I NG R E D I EN T S

6 portions

●● 400g scallops
●● 250g kiwi fruits
●● 60g apple
●● 30g celeriac
●● 4.5 cl olive oil
●● 1 dessertspoon lemon juice
●● 6 teaspoons lobster oil
●● A few roasted sesame seeds
●● 1 bunch of chives
●● Salt, pepper

m e th o d

1. Preparing the fruit: Peel the

kiwis and apple. Chop into
small cubes (3 mm) and pour
into a salad bowl. Peel the
piece of celeriac, chop very
nely (or mince with an electric
mincer) and add to the fruit.
2. Preparing the scallops:
Chop them into small even-
sized cubes (3 mm). Season
very lightly with salt and
pepper. Add them to the
salad bowl with the fruit and
mix well with the olive oil
and lemon juice. Check the
seasoning.
3. Presentation: using a cookie
cutter, place the tartare of
scallops in the middle of
the plate (or in a carefully
washed shell). Sprinkle with a
few sesame seeds and chive
stalks and drizzle a teaspoon
of lobster oil over the tartare
just before serving.

This ingredient and recipe is bought to you by Classic Fine Foods who bring you the very best from around the
world. We work hard at sourcing great value, innovative and artisan products, building and maintaining our strong
relationships with producers we are proud to call our partners Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information!
Telephone: 0207 627 9666 1 sales@classicfinefoods.co.uk 1 www.classicfinefoods.co.uk

51
M e e t Th e supp l i e r

EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE

FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
TABLE AND BAR

52
 Life is full of surprises and they can pop up at any time. Take my recent
introduction to Artis which has now turned into a voyage of discovery as
I have found out more about this dynamic business, Artis is one of the largest
and most experienced companies specialising in the supply of table, glass and
barware products to the UK food service industry in general and as I already
know, to some famous and notable chefs in particular! Chef Editor,
Peter Marshall meets the people behind Artis.

E
stablished some 66 years ago the company
has built an enviable reputation for quality,
innovation, design and exemplary service,
having forged strong, long-standing alliances with
a select number of leading UK and international
manufacturers. This strength means that Artis is
now recognised and used by thousands of chefs all
over the UK.

Sales Director, Ian Jelley says that in its early

years, Artis was known as “that little company
in the south of England that sold quirky cocktail
glasses!” Today, no matter what type of out of
home eatery or bar you are in, you will invariably
find one or more Artis products, as the company
distributes a carefully selected range of prestigious
global brands, predominantly on an exclusive
basis: Bauscher, Durobor, Duralex, Libbey, Luigi
Bormioli Tafelstern, Tramontina and WNK to name
just a few - brands that are associated with and
recognised for quality, value and innovation.
Attention to the finer details and understanding its
customers’ needs and requirements have always
been among the guiding principles for Artis when
selecting its product portfolio.

The leadership team at the company prides itself

"Often Imitated – Never Replicated". A comment about Artis often made
by both end users of Artis products and the distributors who support
them. This is an ethos that will continue unabated going forward with
Artis always working closely with its manufacturers to bring new and
exceptional products to the UK market ahead of the curve. John Artis,
Managing Director.
on its ability to be nimble and flexible, to spot
trends and react quickly to changes in demand and
when it became evident that the Company needed
to enhance its tableware portfolio, it duly acted. In
October 2014, an important step in the Company’s
evolution was taken; Artis partnered with German
manufacturer, BHS tabletop AG. This strategic
move gave Artis access to the globally recognised
Tafelstern and Bauscher brands.

53
 “BHS tabletop is the largest manufacturer
of professional tableware in the world and
we were thrilled to have these prestigious
brands added into our portfolio”, said
John Artis, Managing Director. “The move
catapulted Artis into the top echelons of
tabletop companies serving the professional
hospitality market. The exclusivity of these
brands has given the company the strength
and diversity to present itself as a ‘one
stop shop’ supplying everything for the
professional table and bar,” he added.

As a distributor of some of the world’s

leading tabletop brands, Artis is far more
than just a ‘middle man’. It has a team of
experienced buyers, who travel the globe
armed with a passion to discover great new
products - anticipating and instigating the
latest trends in design and functionality.
The Company works in partnership
both with its manufacturers and just as
importantly, with the people who buy and
use its products, continuously listening to
and liaising with them to understand their
demands for something different. This is
especially relevant to chefs who have the
most exacting standards and the desire to
be daring, inventive and different. Artis loves
to complement their creativity.

Then there is the need to balance durability

with a level of quality that will meet the
demands of any busy service. Artis believes
its porcelain collections are a perfect
platform to showcase a chef’s individuality.
It aims to provide products that are eye
catching and practical. Establishments
come to Artis for its inspiration and
experience. Some of its most successful
partnerships have come when the Company
has been involved from the early stages of
the planning of new bars and restaurants.
In tableware, Tafelstern and Bauscher have
more than 50 different mix and match
collections - something special to meet every
customer’s needs. A great example and a
key innovation from these two companies is
a revolutionary new material ‘Noble China’.
This new class of porcelain gives collections a
remarkable delicacy and a vibrant new colour
– Bonewhite. The new material provides a
fantastic palette for displaying gastronomic
creations whilst retaining heat longer than
bone china, with obvious benefits for
discerning diners. All Tafelstern and Bauscher
porcelain collections are backed with a
5-year professional glaze warranty: creativity
fused with practicality.  

54 M e e t Th e s u pp l i e r

Artis is regularly asked by restaurants and
hotels for bespoke, personalised tableware,
as pioneers are keen to put their own
personal branding on their tableware,
regarded as a sign of high quality and a
reinforcement of the establishment’s name.
To cater for this demand in the market
through its Tafelstern and Bauscher brands,
Artis has pioneered a bespoke tableware
service offering. Caterers can choose to
have their own designs, logos or patterns
fired onto the porcelain and because these
are in-glaze decorations, restaurants can be
sure they will last. Artis is involved from the
initial design stage right through to delivery.
Satisfied customer, Sam Ralls, proprietor of
Woosters in Emsworth, Hampshire is a great
fan of the service: “We have been delighted
with the diligent service offered by Artis
in producing our bespoke porcelain. Their
attention to detail has been impressive.
They helped us refine our ideas and the
entire job was delivered in good time for our
opening,” he said.
Artis never rests on its laurels and will
not stop looking for new trends. A recent
illustration of this foresight is plain to see
from the barware section of the 2016 Artis
catalogue which showcases an eclectic
range of exciting products. There is a broad
selection of Tiki mugs and copper barware.
In glassware, Artis was instrumental in
driving a trend towards vintage glassware,
which is now so popular. It was quick off the
mark, too, in recognising the resurgence of
the iconic Gin & Tonic. Here presentation is
so important and the ‘coupe de balon’ style
glasses complete the experience along with
signature gins, premium tonics and key
botanicals.
Every leading restaurant will accompany
its food with the best in drinks, so the
Artis glassware collection is extensive. For
example, it has over 50 styles of champagne
flutes and coupes, a myriad of beer glasses
and an inspiring collection of cocktail
glassware.
Artis may have over 3,000 products
available to its customers but it thrives on a
personal touch, people-based culture. John
Artis remains as the Managing Director after
joining his father’s business when he was
just 17. Talking to John you can immediately
tell he has not lost any of his passion for
the business. It’s this drive throughout its
people, alongside the company ethos and its
rich heritage that persuaded BHS tabletop to
get involved: it’s a compelling proposition.
Artis has a sales team of six, headed by
the aforementioned Sales Director, Ian
Jelley, and between them they have over 80
years’ industry experience. That’s a whole
lot of expertise you can benefit from. The
Company is member of the Craft Guild of
Chefs and Caterbar, who awarded Artis ‘The
Supplier Excellence Award for Innovation’in
2015. Artis is keen to get involved with
events and always aims to be a bit different,
its #Artis wonderland stand @ Hotelympia,
was a major storm in a tea cup and caught
everyone’s imagination! I only needed one
look at the Company’s catalogue to see they
really do care about what they sell and every
year there are new products with stunning
new images because Artis insists on
working with a food stylist and a specialist
photographer in a professional studio. Artis
is keen to see its products showcasing all
menu styles and they are happy to provide
samples for chefs, hotel owners and
restaurants to try out their new menus. After
all, you can only really know what a product
is like when you see, touch and feel it - just
like a great chef’s food, the presentation
needs to be perfect. But above all it needs to
taste great.
At its head office and distribution centre
in Chessington, Surrey, Artis has a fully
equipped showroom with its entire portfolio
on show. Visitors come here for inspiration
for their own hotels, bars or restaurants.
Call 020 8391 5544 to visit the showroom
yourself or go online at www.artis-uk.com
to see the 2016 Artis catalogue or to order a
hard copy.
55
 T ri e d a nd T e st e d by Andrew Scott

The Mighty Josper

Review

This maybe the biggest and heaviest piece of chef kit I have ever reviewed,
but it sure did pack a punch flavourwise, no matter what I cooked. I was
asked by Chef magazine to review the Josper LBC oven at Restaurant 56,and a date
was set in the diary for the beginning of June where I looked forward to spending
a sunny lunchtime on the terrace cooking my heart out. Unfortunately it didn’t start
out quite as planed, as the day came and went in true British fashion, with the day
spend huddled under the terrace canopy hiding from the torrential rain
57
 T
he morning before, a lorry turned up
to deliver the beast of an oven on to
the patio, giving me the oportunity to
cook sirloin steak tand risotto that afternoon.
Usually the Jospers are at home inside the
kitchen under a decent extraction, but I didn’t
have the space so we set up outside. The Guys
from Jestic (Uk distributor) arrived to show
me the ropes, as this was a first for me.Josper
has been around since 1969 – it’s a Spanish
family run business which has remained
under the same ownership to this day. They
now produce all different shapes and sizes of
kit, from a home Josper to an open rotisserie
grill. I first heard the name in 2009 but the oven retains a lot more moisture as it cooks whole skin-on celeriacs, onto the coals and
kitchens I had been working in didn’t have 35% quicker than an open grill, entrapping cooked until they were tender. The pineapple
or didn’t think they needed one. I think the the delicious smoke in the cast iron oven box, caramelised and had a toffee flavour and
common perception is they are nothing but an before being slowly released through the vent the celeriac just got earthier and charred,
expensive BBQ that you only cook steak on. system chimney. The food then can’t escape bringing out its natural flavour. We just
I must admit I initially shared that view - the smoke, giving anything that is cooked in mashed it up, added salt and olive oil and
until I ate the mussels that Jestic development there a beautiful chargrilled flavour. tucked in, I could have eaten it all but celeriac
chef, Chris Brennen, cooked for me. Chris set the oven up with two thirds is far to healthy so I thought I’d leave space
He cooked them in a cage for two minutes, of a bag of decent charcoal and three fire for the meat and fish.On to my turn flying
with a touch of olive oil squirted on them and I lighters, within an hour it was up to its solo on the £13,500 charcoal fired Josper,
can safely say they are the best I’ve ever eaten. required temperature of 400̇ᵒc , before it to be honest I was a little apprehensive on
I asked Chris why and he explained the basic reached that perfect temperature we threw cooking beautiful Cornish fish and dry aged
concept that all food cooked in the Josper in two unpeeled whole pineapples and two beef in front of the Jestic guys and Peter from

58 Tr i e d a n d T e s t e d b y A n d r e w S c o t t
Chef magazine. But it was pretty simple with
a few guidelines from Chris, I produced lovely
juicy rib-eyes, chicken and whole fish with
crispy skin and perfectly cooked asparagus.It
took just four minutes for the steak and eight
minutes for the chicken breast.,We stood in
the rain sampling the finished product like
boys at a posh scout camp. It was all certainly
better than camp food and I was then sold
the dream of writing a menu based solely
around this brilliant oven.
It may be expensive and it may be niche in
high end kitchens, but this certainly has a place
in a future brasserie/bistro concept for me, it was
easy to light and runs on about £16 worth of coal Interested in the Josper Oven
a day so pretty efficient. The flavour it gives good
ingredients is amazing and definitely worth the used by chef, Andrew Scott, in
investment, BBQ food/restaurants are so trendy
at the moment, so there is a demand.
this feature? Please call
A Big thank you to my trusty and loyal 01892 831 960 to speak to
suppliers for supplying the ingredients, Lewis
form Aubrey Allen, Sandy at Flying Fish and us about a special discounted
Marc from AM Bailey’s.
To finish on a potty mouth cheffy note “The
offer, especially for readers
Josper LBC cooks food fucking fast and tastes of Chef Magazine
delicious.” Start saving chefs!
59
 Recipe by Chris Brennen of Josper

Arozz al Carbon
This is a dish Josper use a lot in Spain similar to a paella, we are utilizing the Josper during its light up period. Whilst the temperature slowly
rises we make use of all the smoke being generated. It is a base of tomatoes, onions and garlic reduced down into almost a paste. You then add
whatever ingredients you fancy, meat, fish or vegetables, pop in some Arborio rice and stock and reduce down over and over again. What you end
up with is a very intense smoky dish. Here we like to keep it simple and use chicken thigh fillets and chorizo.

I NG R E D I EN T S m e th o d
●● 18 x tomatoes 1. Dice the tomatoes, onion and garlic and put 7. When required add the diced chorizo to the
●● 1 x onion into the cazuela pan with about 50 ml of mix
●● 4 x clove garlic olive oil. 8. Add the Arborio rice to the top of the mix
●● 600g x chicken thigh fillets 2. Whilst the Josper is in the firing up stage, and then toast for a couple of minutes in the
●● 100g x chorizo diced place the top grate in the oven and add the Josper
●● 100g x Arborio rice tomato mix 9. Add the chicken stock and stir well (you can
●● 600ml x chicken stock (more if needed) 3. Wait until the mixture begins to stick to the always add more stock if you need to)
●● 1 x ciabatta sliced pan (around 10 minutes), then mix together 10. As the mix begins to stick and burn to the
●● 50ml x olive oil using a spatula base of the pan (check every 5mins), mix it all
4. Repeat with the mixture sticking then mixing together again
together 3 or 4 times until you have a dark 11. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked
mixture and you have a very dark brown mixture
5. Cook the chicken thighs directly on the Josper 12. toast the ciabatta
grill and then slice and add to the tomato mix 13. season the mixture and serve with the
6. Place tomato mix into a blast chiller to cool ciabatta
until needed

60
I n T h e Kit c h e n : K n iv e s by Lindy Wildsmith

Cutting it with
Tosa
hand-forged
kitchen knife

62
h a Japanese,
Four hundred years ago, The Lord of Tosa returned from a great battle,
accompanied by a skilled swordsmith from Sado and this was the
beginning of Tosa free forged blades.
Sei Hamaguchi has beautiful expressive hands, the hands of a gifted
craftsman. They are constantly on the move as he tells the story of the four
generations of knife artisans that are his ancestors. We are watching an
apprentice shaping a blade, mesmerising sparks flying from the grindstone.
But my eyes are drawn back, again and again to Sei’s gentle face and
demeanour and his constantly moving hands, like pistons, driving him and his
work forward, as he explains how Tosa blades are made.

H
e talks of blades rather than of knives
but knives are very much his business.
He makes knives for the food industry,
knives for chefs, knives for domestic use, for
forestry, for agriculture, for hunting and for
the operating table. However, his craft is all in
the cutting edge, the blade. The knife handle,
made towards the end of the week-long
handmade process is almost incidental.

We are standing in the Toyukuni and

Masano blade forge: at the heart of a row
of unprepossessing buildings built, high
in the trees, against a rock face, looking
down on a babbling, bubbling water course
in Kameiwa, outside Nankoku City in Kochi
Prefecture, on Shikoku Island.

Shikoku, (literally translated means four

countries) the smallest of Japan’s “big four”
Islands, sits modestly to the southwest of
the main island, Honshu. Tosa or Kochi as
it is now known, one of the Island’s four
prefectures, faces the Pacific Ocean in the
south and is confined on all other sides by
richly forested mountains.

63
 Because of this natural “isolation”, Kochi still
feels like its own country. When I told people
in Tokyo I was flying to Kochi, they looked as
me as if to say, where are you going, is that
in Japan? Over the centuries, the region has
developed its own customs and traditions and
has acquired a unique culture. The hammer
forged Tosa blade, born from secret sword
making techniques brought to the island 400
years ago, is part of this rich culture. The Tosa
blade is renowned the world over for its acute
cutting ability and durability.
The blade is made by blending and forging
flexible base metal, pure iron with Yasugi
carbon steel, (the raw material used in the
making of Japanese swords). This blending
and forging changes the atoms in the
chemical structure of the steel, resulting in
a super sharp knife. It also ensures that the
blades do not break or bend. To make the
point, Sei tells us about one of the family
knives, that lasted for a hundred years.
Now 53, Sei Hamaguchi has been forging
knives for 36 years. His innovative, master-
craftsman father before him, Daisuke
Hamaguchi, refined his skill for seventy-seven.
As a child Sei loved being in the smithy, a
hammer in his hand. During high school, he
helped every day, trying his hand at his father’s
skills. He learned by seeing, watching and
trying.
Once his studies were over, he was employed
as any other apprentice under his father
and uncle and was able to concentrate one
hundred percent on learning the techniques
handed down to him. He learned for ten years
under Daisuke and Torakiti Hamaguchi. Today
Sei is highly skilled in the making of every kind
of knife blade. He has harnessed his heritage,
64 Th e K i t c h e n K n i v e s b y L i n d y W i l d s m i t h
the traditional Toyokuni & Masano style of
blade, using Tosa’s free forging techniques to
develop twenty-first products.
In his father’s and grandfather’s day, every
household used a variety of blades; from a
kogatana, a child’s knife, used to sharpen pencils
to the hatchet for cutting fire wood to heat water
and special kitchen knives for cutting through
fish bone, skinning eel and preparing sashimi.
Since Japan’s rapid growth in the seventies this
has all changed and one knife, one household,
has been the order of the day.
However, food industry companies have
taken over tasks that were once executed in
the home and they need specialist blades for
cutting vegetables and chopping aromatics
such as ginger. The difference in thickness
or the angle of a blade can alter, not only the
efficiency of the task but also the taste and
aroma of the ingredients being cut. These
are the kinds of specific concerns that only a
master craftsman such as Sei can resolve.
He harnesses his ancient craft, his innate
knowledge and four generations of heritage
to, cutting edge technology. Where once it
would have taken him three days to make a
wooden model for a blade, today he makes a
sketch and with computer aided design he is
able to easily make and fine tune a prototype
model and produce it on a 3D printer in half
a day. In the past he would have had to start
again from scratch with a new model. He
is also working with surgeons and medical
professionals to hone new ground breaking
surgical instruments and scissors
His handmade knives cost anything from
6000 to 600,000 yen between £40.00 and
£4000. He makes maybe 10 high value knives
a month. You may well ask what the difference
is. The high value knives go through twelve
very detailed processes and become ever
more refined and therefore more accurate.
One craftsman will work 5 days a week, 2
hours every day for 3 months perfecting the
blade. In comparison, a basic handmade knife
takes a week to produce.
Two-star Michelin chefs rank among the “high
value knife” customers, who come knocking
at Sei’s door, for a knife that is “just for me”. I
asked, what a Western chef, not attuned to the
tradition of the Tosa blade would be looking
for in contrast to say a home-spun chef.
After some thought he said that, In the West
the “trophy” knife is mainly about an ornate
handle while in Japan it is all about the blade.
Every knife goes through eight detailed
processes; hammering to strengthen the
steel; blending, where the heated iron is
folded into the hot steel; shaping on a grinder;
quenching, a process of heating and water
cooling; annealing to make the steel more
pliable; finishing of the blade body; making
the handle and sheath and finally adding the
logo. Then the knife is complete. One of the
many strengths of Tosa blades is that they not
only keep their sharpness but they are also
simple to sharpen.
This was not my first encounter with a hand
forged blade. My interest had been aroused in
London a year or so earlier when I went to see,
Ishii Yoshinori, who has recently been dubbed
world ambassador for Japanese Cuisine by the
Japanese government. He is executive chef
of Mayfair’s Umu; London’s only Kaisaki style
restaurant. I had originally met him at an event
at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence. I
went to Umu for lunch to learn more about
sashimi. Yoshi has been preparing sashimi for
the last 25 years and yet says “I still have a lot
to learn.” Is there any hope for the likes of me?
Naturally enough that day after lunch our talk
turned to knives. Yoshinori Ishii showed me
the knife his father had bought him when he
first started his training; the blade itself was
worn in places “usuzukuri thin”. A sashimi
blade only has an edge on one side and is
sharpened daily and this, like so many other
Japanese traditions, is performed with due
respect. He grinned as he told me that the
blade had probably been 7cm longer when
it was new. He went on to say that since he
first started work he had saved 1000 yen
(£7) from every wage packet in order to buy
himself an emperor of knives, and he had
recently reached his goal. He disappeared and
reappeared baring the “trophy” on two hands;
he placed it carefully on the table, unwrapped
it ceremoniously, telling me that it was made
of the same material as a Japanese sword.
It had cost £18.000. Yes, Kaisaki, is a serious
business! His knife has been designated a
Living National Treasure. His pride in, and his
care of this knife, is no less than the pride and
care of a sword by a Samurai.
Sei Hamaguchi’s, Toyukuni and Masano
blades, are not recognised, as living national
treasures, at least not yet and Sei would be the
first to say there is still much to learn. However,
there are those who think he has much to give.
A group of students from the Royal College of
Art in London come to seek him out every year,
to watch, see and learn something of his skills.
Sei has already forged an excellent reputation
in North America, Europe, Australia and Russia
An apprenticeship takes ten years. Out of the
ten youngsters taken on, only two remain. To
prepare the steel, it is hammered at 1000℃
to make it stronger. If the temperatures at
this stage are too high, the steel will become
unusable. The iron is heated to 1000 - 1100℃
and then folded and buried in to the hot
steel. This is a very difficult process and an
apprentice is only allowed to take it on by
himself after ten years’ study. The tempering
of the blade, the all-important technique
that “bring the knife to life” takes seven
minutes at 780 degrees. Asked how all these
temperatures are measured, Sei says that his
hands and body know instinctively.
John-San bought me a sashimi knife, which
was subsequently polished and sharpened
and then delivered along with a whet stone to
our ryokan three days later. It has a wooden
handle. The blade is long and thin; the cutting
edge is super-keen and unimaginably fine.
There is a delicate hologram kind of pattern
within the metal that comes to life in certain
lights. It may not be a “high value” knife it
may not be a national treasure, but it has a
magic all of its own and yes it can cut! The
blade glides through fish as if it were passing
through air.
But the last words to the master craftsman:
“Since we are artisans we are fussy about
making traditional pieces that we think are
good, but in the future, we’d like to hear
the voices of many people and go on to make
blades that are useful to society.”
65

Don’t slip up
Safety, hygiene, cost and comfort – there’s a lot to consider when it comes to kitchen
flooring, says Ceri Bowman, Altro’s National Key Account Manager – Catering Design.
F
looring in commercial kitchens and food
preparation areas needs to work hard, with
safety top of the list. However, keeping
people safe is about more than slip-resistance
and cleaning, it’s also about preventing
surfaces from harbouring bacteria. Cost and
comfort will also feature high on the agenda
when it comes to choosing kitchen flooring.
Risks and realities
The commercial kitchen can be a dangerous
place. Oil evaporates into the air and settles
on the floor when it cools – requiring constant
cleaning to prevent a slippery surface. Small
spills like milk or flour could cause a very real slip
hazard. A busy lunch hour would mean a lot of
oil and cooking ingredients on the floor, and not
enough time to keep the floor clean and hazard-
free at all times.
The law requires that employers ensure the
health and safety of all employees, which
is why safety flooring is a popular choice in
commercial kitchens. However, there’s more
to choos-ing the right safety flooring than
meets the eye. It’s well worth spending a little
time to under-stand the mechanics of safety
flooring because getting it wrong can be costly
in many, many ways.
Understanding slip-resistance
Safety flooring in the UK is often given a PTV
– Pendulum Test Value – to show the level
of slip-resistance it provides. Wet flooring
that measures PTV ≥36 translates to a one
in a million chance of slipping and is classed
as having a low slip potential. However, the
contaminant used for this test is water –
perfectly suitable for most areas, but as you’ll
know well, not commercial kitchens.
For this reason, we put safety flooring to a real
world test, using a variety of common conta-
minants found in a commercial kitchen. We used
the standard PTV pendulum test BS7976 to test
a range of typical kitchen contaminants, using
three of our safety floors, all classed as having a
low slip potential.
As expected, all three performed well with
clean water as the contaminant, but when it
came to greasy washing up water or vegetable
oil, safety flooring that meets the ‘low slip
potential’ figure of PTV ≥36 saw a hugely
increased risk of slipping of just 1 in 20. Only
the specialist safety flooring with our highest
PTV of ≥55 continued to provide a 1 in a million
risk of slip-ping. Your chosen flooring needs
to be able to perform against wet and dry
contaminants and provide sustained lifetime
slip resistance, so consult the slip-resistance
figures and ask tough questions about
performance over time. You need confidence
that your chosen flooring will continue to
perform like new, year after year after year.
Hygiene matters
The surfaces you choose for kitchens and food
preparation areas must meet exceptionally
high health and safety and food hygiene
standards – increasingly this spells problems
for many traditionally used finishes, such as
ceramic tiles which can provide a breeding
ground for bacterial growth.
in t h e k it c h e n
The EU food safety guidelines say that every
food business operation must ensure food
safety is never compromised. The layout,
design and construction of food premises
must prevent the accumulation of dirt and the
shedding of particles. Floors, walls, ceilings,
win-dows and doors must have impervious,
non-absorbent and washable surfaces. All
surfaces should be maintained in a sound
condition, and therefore be easy to clean and
disinfect. This will require all surfaces to be
smooth, washable, corrosion-resistant and
made from non-toxic materials.
HACCP is an international system for food
safety management. It is a legal requirement
in Europe under EC Regulation 852/2004.
To conform to HACCP standards, excellent
hygiene and rigorous cleaning routines are
essential, and surfaces must be impervious to
bacteria ingress and easy to clean to prevent
contamination. We recommend using a system
de-signed to work together, such as Altro
Stronghold safety flooring and Altro Whiterock
hygie-nic wall cladding – both of which are
HACCP approved.
Consider long term costs
Cost, of course, is a constraint, but consider life
cycle costs as well as installation processes.
Downtime costs money, so ease and speed of
installation are key, choose products designed
to minimise downtime and cause the least
disruption to busy kitchens and production
runs. For the same reasons consider durability
– fit products that are manufactured to perform
to a high standard over a long period of time
even in the most demanding environments.
Comfort matters
Specialist safety flooring tough enough for
commercial kitchens will also be thicker than
standard safety flooring. Look for 3mm thick
rather than 2mm and you’ll see a range of addi-
tional benefits including reduced staff fatigue,
noise reduction and comfort underfoot.
67
 b o o k r e vi e w

T
his stunning book features of the finest
pastry chefs working worldwide today,
along with samples of their glorious,
highly sophisticated confections. These
chefs - some up-and-coming and others well
established - are all innovative pioneers in a
uniquely appealing creative field.

Informative biographies describe the

individual styles of each pâtissier. Among
those featured are Rosio Sanchez,
pastry chef at Noma, voted World’s Best
Restaurant; Bonnae Gokson, crowned
“Queen of Confectionery” in Asia by
America’s wedding-event guru Colin
Cowie; Nathaniel Reid, one of Dessert
Professional magazine’s Top 10 Pastry
Chefs in America; and World Chocolate
Master, Carmelo Sciampagna. Hundreds of
photographs display the chefs in action as
well as their impressive pâtisseries, from
Gontran Cherrier’s new classic “Strawberry
and Cucumber Tart with Basil” to Pierre
François Roelofs’s exotic “Hibiscus, Berries,
Bubblegum” to Bobbette & Belle’s Alice in
Wonderland-themed bridal shower cake.

Also included are 89 recipes for out of this

world cakes, tarts, biscuits, petits fours, plated
desserts, pastries, confectionery, chocolate,
ice creams and sorbets, with a final chapter
focusing on the lavish sugar-paste world of
celebratory cakes. While unusual ingredients
and sophisticated kitchen equipment may
be required, The New Pâtissiers explains
the essential techniques and each recipe has
been home-tested by amateurs and rated for
difficulty. Offering a wealth of inspiring and
delicious material, this keenly-priced paperback
edition of The New Pâtissiers is a must for
professional pastry chefs, keen amateurs and
anyone with an interest in gourmet food.

Acclaim for The New Pâtissiers

(Hardback edition)
Chef Offer
‘A treat’, Elle Decoration ‘ Buy The amazing New Patissiers
These mouth-watering 89 recipes from
cakes to petits fours, created by 38 of the
recipe book and receive
world’s best patissiers, are for dessert
lovers who take their sweet treats seriously’, 1 years subscription
Independent to Chef magazine
‘Drool inducing’, Irish Tatler for free worth £25.00
www.chefjournal.com
The New Patissiers is available from:
www.chefpublishing.com

69
 Recipe by Carmelo

Golden Macaron
"The 24K gold macaron was born out of the idea of making available to our loyal customers a very precious dessert," said Carmelo. "It is a
sweet like a jewel both because of its aesthetic and its price… It costs about €80 for 100 g. I’m not sure whether it can be considered the world’s
most expensive macaron, but it’s probably one of the most costly things I’ve come across on my numerous trips throughout Italy and abroad.
A bakery also needs something quirky to make people talk, and that is a side aspect of the business we like to take care of. We prepare the
macaron on request only, and we are honestly pretty happy with the orders!"

MAKES 8–10
Difficulty 3 /5
Preparation time 1 1/2 hours (not
including overnight setting time for the
ganache)
Specific equipment 2 x piping (pastry)
bags; Silpat® mat, or similar placed in a –
preferably perforated – baking tray;
digital candy thermometer

I NG R E D I EN T S
For the White Chocolate Ganache
with Tahitian Vanilla Beans
●● Whipping cream (35% fat) 128 g |
gen. 4 1⁄2 fl oz | 1⁄2 cup
●● Invert sugar 13 g | sc. 1⁄2 oz | 1⁄2 tbsp
●● Glucose syrup 13 g | 1⁄2 fl oz | 1 1⁄2 tsp
●● Green (unripe) lemon zest 1 g | 1⁄8 tsp
●● 1/2 Tahitian vanilla pod (bean) (split,
scraped, both pod/bean
●● and seeds reserved)
●● White chocolate couverture
(e.g. Opalys 33% by Valrhona)
●● 208g | sc. 7 1⁄2 oz
●● Cocoa butter 5g | sc. 1⁄4 oz (or acacia/
wattle honey)
For the Macarons
●● Blanched almond meal 130g | 4 1⁄2 oz | 1
1⁄2 cups
●● Icing (confectioner’s) sugar 225g |
sc. 8 oz | 1 2⁄5 cups
●● Edible gold powder 5g | sc. 1⁄4 oz |
2 1⁄2 tsp
●● Egg whites 115 g | 4 oz | 1⁄2 cup
●● Caster (superfine) sugar 60g |
gen. 2 oz | gen. 1⁄4 cup
●● Cream of tartar 1 g | 1⁄8 tsp
For the Vanilla Sauce
●● Whipping cream (35% fat) 100g |
gen. 3 1⁄2 fl oz | sc. 1⁄2 cup
●● Custard* 100g | 3 1⁄2 fl oz | sc. 1⁄2 cup
●● 1/2 Tahitian vanilla pod (bean) (split,
scraped, seeds reserved)
* Custard
●● Egg yolks 54g | sc. 2 oz | sc. 1⁄4 cup
●● Caster (superfine) sugar 13g |
sc. 1⁄2 oz | 1 tbsp
●● Cornflour (cornstarch) 8g | 1⁄4 oz |
sc. 2 tsp
●● 1/2 Tahitian vanilla pod (bean) (split,
scraped, both pod/bean and seeds
reserved)
●● Zest of 1/2 a small green (unripe) lemon
●● Milk 75g | 2 1⁄2 fl oz | 5 tbsp
●● Whipping cream (35% fat) 25g |
gen. 3⁄4 fl oz | sc. 1 1⁄2 tbsp
METHOD
White Chocolate Ganache With
Tahitian Vanilla Beans
1 Bring the cream, invert sugar, glucose
syrup, lemon zest, and vanilla pod
(bean) and seeds to the boil.
2 At the same time, melt the chocolate
with the cocoa butter.
3 Pour the hot cream mixture over the
melted chocolate mixture in several
additions.
4 Remove the vanilla pod (bean), then
transfer to a stand mixer with a paddle
attachment to complete the emulsion.
5 Leave to set overnight at approximately
17ÅãC (63ÅãF).
Macarons
1 Mix together the almond meal, icing
(confectioner’s) sugar and gold powder.
2 Separately whisk the egg whites (best if
they have been in the fridge for a couple
of days) with the caster (superfine)
sugar and cream of tartar.
3 Use a flexible spatula to ‘macaroner’
(or fold) the dry ingredients into the
whisked egg white mixture.
4 Use a piping (pastry) bag to create
two sizes of macaron shell on a Silpat.
mat or similar placed in a baking tray
(preferably perforated), then leave to dry
for 20 minutes.
5 Bake at 140ÅãC (275ÅãF) for 12–15
minutes.
6 Once baked, leave to cool down on the
mat/tray.
Vanilla Sauce
1 Warm the cream and mix vigorously
with the custard and the vanilla seeds.
2 Strain before use.
* Custard
1 Mix together the egg yolks, sugar,
cornflour (cornstarch), vanilla pod
(bean) and seeds, and lemon zest.
2 Bring the milk and cream to the boil,
then pour them on the egg yolk mixture.
3 Re-heat up to 82ÅãC (180ÅãF), stirring
continuously, then strain and cool
before use.
Assembling
Garnishes Edible gold leaves
Pair together the macaron shells of equal size.
Cover each shell with edible gold leaves.
Pipe the set ganache onto half the shells, then
assemble. Serve with vanilla sauce.
You could also add some crushed coloured
macarons around the plate.

70
Exclusive offer to readers of
magazine

You can now enjoy owning

a Tosa hand-forged kitchen knife

If you are wanting to enhance your knife collection consider buying one of these handcrafted Japanese knives
forged by gifted craftsman Sei Yamaguchi - see the article in this magazine.
A large range of knives have been carefully selected and are now available on our website www.chefpublishing.com
 From the creators of ‘Chef Book’
outstanding recipe books for
the Professional Chef

This book is a treasure-trove of great food. A veritable anthology

of some of the world’s best chefs and their recipes including
Paul Bocuse, the Roux family, Anton Mosimann and Thomas
Keller and many of the new stars of today such as Sat Bains,
Jason Atherton and Daniel Humm. In total there are 124 chefs
featured in this amazing collection. The photography is a work
of art and the recipes are as diverse as the chefs featured.
This book has been produced to celebrate the 40th issue of
‘Chef Magazine’, a testament to the dedication and professionalism
of the magazine. My wish would be that every cook worth
his salt should buy a copy, look at it, study it and cherish it.

nico ladenis

All b o o ks ava ila b le f ro m

w w w.chef pu b l i shi n g.co m
Publishers of Chef Magazine the leading
magazine for the professional Chef

www.chefmedia.co.uk/collections/books
Fr o nt o f H o us e : B u l g aria n wi n e
Bulgaria
the old “new” world
B
ulgaria is situated on the east of the
Balkan Peninsula with a coastline
along the Black Sea. Modern
Bulgarians are descendants of the Slavs
and the Bulgars, who arrived from north
of the Danube in the 7th century. The
country’s landscape is defined by three
mountain ranges running east to west
across central Bulgaria and the Danube
Valley. Bulgaria is a mountainous
country, almost everywhere between the
Black Sea and the Macedonian border is
impacted by them. The result is a myriad
of microclimates and soils, which range
from chalky loess to weathered clay and
when combined with lots of sunshine,
provide ideal conditions to grow the vine.
Today, Bulgaria has approximately 60,000
hectares under vine. There are five key
wine regions, the Danube Plain (north),
Rose Valley/Podbalkanski Raion (central),
Struma Valley (south-west), Black Sea
(east) and Thrace (south).
74
by Jean Smullen
In the early 1980’s before new world
wines, hell bent on global domination
emerged on the UK market, the go to country
for good quality and affordable varietal wines
was Bulgaria. Bulgaria was the “new world” of
wine and during the 1980’s it was the second
largest producer of wine in the world. In the
post-war Communist era huge wine factories
emerged to provide cheap wine for the Soviet
Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. As
a result there was a huge imitative of new
plantings, of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Muscat Ottonel, Chardonnay,
Sauvignon Blanc and Traminer, because
of this, by the 1960’s the area under vine in
Bulgaria had grown to over 200,000 hectares.
Fast forward 50 odd years and the story
is very different, Bulgarian wine is today
an unknown entity with very little global
presence. So how did it happen that the once
dominant Bulgarian wine industry with all its
potential faded into oblivion?
There is an old proverb “never put all
your eggs in one basket” which goes some
ways towards explaining what happened. In
the 1980’s before the new world got in on the
act, the state controlled Bulgarian wineries
pulled off an economic coup by selling
vast quantities of varietal wine into the UK
market at a very competitive price. Bulgarian
Cabernet Sauvignon in particular performed
well and this dominated the market.
After the fall of communism in the
1990’s many of the state owned wineries
were privatised and the future seemed
hopeful. Domaine Boyar was one of
the first private wine companies set up in
Bulgaria. Founded in 1991, the company
was registered simultaneously in Sofia
and London. It quickly became the biggest
supplier of Bulgarian wine to Western
Europe. In 1992 the company built a state
of the art modern winery on the outskirts of
Sliven designed by an Australian company
 emergence of the Bulgarian wine industry, as
a global player many years later. During the
1960’s at the height of communist rule the
plantings of the French varietals increased
enormously as the demand for Bulgarian
wine, particularly in the Soviet Union grew.
Many of the indigenous varietals such
as Pamid, Misket, Dimyat, Gamza, Mavrud
and Shiroka Melnishkaloza fell into obscurity
while grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot and Chardonnay became the driving
force of the industry.
So far so good, however, the
emergence of competition in the mid
1990’s from new world such as Australia,
South Africa, Chile and New Zealand at a
time when production levels in the post-
communist era dropped off massively
was the nail in the coffin for the emerging
Bulgarian wine industry.
Today 60,000 hectares are currently
under vine in Bulgaria. They are spread over
the five regions which are further sub-divided
into 17 growing areas. Annual production is
approximately four to five million hectoliters,
of which three million is exported to 70
countries. Bulgaria’s wine industry is starting
to build an international reputation again.
Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 and today the
country has approximately 250 vineyards and
wineries who are working hard to develop the
export market.
Domaine Bessa Valley
A visit to the state of the art Domaine
Bessa Valley was a glimpse into modern
winemaking in Bulgaria. Stephan von
Neipperg, in conjunction Dr Karl-Heinz
Hauptmann, was one of the first people to
invest in Bulgaria. Bessa Valley Winery is
situated in the Pazardjik region between the
Rhodope Mountains and the Maritsa River.
The valley is surrounded by hills, and is near
to the city of Plovdiv. Seeing the enormous
potential of Bulgaria’s clay-limestone soil
and continental climate the Bessa Valley
project was started in 2001. The vineyards
are planted primarily with French varietals
including Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and
Cabernet Sauvignon. The stand out wines
includes the 2013 Enira Reserve a blend of
Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit
Verdot and the 2014 Enira Rose made from a
blend of Syrah, Petit Verdot and Merlot. The
wines produced by Bessa Valley Winery are
premium with a strong French influence.
These are fine wines with an edge and would
sit comfortably on any restaurant list. UK
Importer: Alliance Wine
www.alliancewine.com

A&G Engineering, the future was bright and Domaine Bessa Valley
Bulgaria was going places. However, one
company cannot grow an entire industry
and the dominance of Domaine Boyar and
competition from the new world wines
quickly burst the Bulgarian bubble and their
wines faded into obscurity.

The fact that Bulgaria emerged with

varietal wines ahead of the new world
should, in theory, have been of benefit to
them. Bulgaria had a history of working
with French varietals that goes back to the
turn of the last century. French varietals
were originally planted in Bulgaria post
phylloxera as a result of the influence of
Prince Ferdinand of Saxe Coburg the elected
ruler of Bulgaria from 1908-1918. Ferdinand
was a keen botanist and he encouraged
the Bulgarian wine industry to replant with
French varietals. He also championed better
viticultural practices including high trained
vines. It was this that eventually lead to the

75
 Domaine Boyar
Domaine Boyar the biggest privately
owned winery in Bulgaria was founded in
1991. Situated on the outskirts of the town
of Sliven in the Thracian lowlands, today it
is one of the biggest producers in Bulgaria.
Over 80% of all Bulgarian wine imported to
the U.K. comes from this company. They sell
over 3 million bottles a year. While many of
their wines are available via Tesco, Marks &
Spencer, Morrison’s etc., they have a premium
winery Korten whose wines are destined
for the on-trade. The Korten winery was
originally founded in 1914 and today makes
small batches of exclusive wines, from hand-
picked grapes, vinified in small oak fermenters
and aged using a small scale maturation
process. They produce 80,000 bottles
annually at their Blue Ridge winery. Their
head winemaker Dimitar Panov is a legend
in Bulgarian wine circles, he works hard with
both the international and the local indigenous
varietals. I loved the 2014 Korten Mavrud &
Rubin it was quite vegetal and smoky on the
nose but when tasted had a very distinctive
76
fresh character with lots of black fruit. Mavrud
is one of Bulgaria’s most important red grape
varieties, it has black fruit flavours and a spicy
character. Rubin is a hybrid grape, created in
the 1940’s it is a Syrah/Nebbiolo cross. This is
a big wine and definitely one made to go with
red meat. I also loved the 2013 Domaine
Boyar Boutique Malbec, they only produce
2,000 bottles of this every year but it had a
lovely layer of black fruit and lots of spice.
UK Importer: www.ehrmannswines.co.uk
Vinex Slavyantsi
Located in the Bourgas district in the
village of Slavyantsi 80 km from the Black Sea
near the Thracian Rose Valley the winery has
700 ha of vineyards. It is 450 metres above
sea level and the region has a continental
climate. Originally founded in the 19th century
it became a co-operative in 1952. In 1995
the company went into private ownership
and today this Fair Trade winery is strong on
organic production and produced 150,000
hectolitre of wine annually. With over 250
employees and another 200 vineyard workers,
Roman Ampitheatre in Plovdiv
40% of their work force is Roma. 70% of
the wines produced are white and 30% are
red. The wines were very good, commercial
with lots of potential I was particularly taken
by the fact they use a lot of native grape
varieties. The 2015 Leva Dimiat was a fresh
wine with lots of acidity and a citrus finish.
Their red wines were a mix of French varietals
but a stand out wine was the 2011 Leva
Shiraz Premium Reserva with lots of sweet
blackcurrant fruit and a hint of spice, this was
a food friendly wine with a touch of class.
Vinex Slavyantsi is currently looking for an UK
agent. More information on
www.vinexbg.com
Plovdiv – European Capital
of Culture 2019
Thousands of years ago Philippopolis
(the ancient name for Plovdiv) was the most
important city within the Roman province of
Thrance. Plovdiv is one of the oldest cities in
Europe, tracing its roots back to the beginning
of the 6th century BC. A remarkably ancient
city with valuable historic monuments from
Roman times, Plovdiv is ranked third in the
world (after Rome and Athens) in the “Top
10 Most Beautiful Ancient Cities”. Key sites
include the Ancient Theatre built during the
2nd century AD, the Roman Stadium in the
centre of the city, the Forum, the Odeon and
the Aqueduct, Plovdiv will be European capital
of Culture in 2019. More information on
www.visitplovdiv.com
While the French varietal wines are all
of good quality, a visit to the Hebros Hotel in
Plovdiv, which has been voted best restaurant
in Bulgaria on three occasions, gave us the
opportunity to try some of the native grape
varieties matched with some outstanding
local dishes. Situated in the center of the
old town this small hotel is 200 years old.
Their wine list is exceptionally good and their
young Sommelier one of the best I’ve seen
in action, thank to him we worked our way
through some of Bulgaria’s top wines made
from indigenous grapes – all in the interest of
research you understand!
www.hebros-hotel.com
Thanks to Thomas Brandl of xenos-
comm PR network for his assistance with
this article. Thomas is International PRO for
Bulgarian Wine. For more information about
Bulgarian Wine contact: Margarita Levieva
from Bulgarian Chamber for Wines and Vines
marga.levieva@bulgarianwines.org
 NEWS
WORLD’S LEADING CHEFS COLLABORATE WITH NESPRESSO
TO EXPLORE THE FUTURE OF COFFEE IN FINE DINING

L ausanne, Switzerland – 13 June, 2016 –

Innovation lies at the heart of the future of fine
dining and a more educated customer is rapidly
changing restaurant behaviour. Increasingly,
customers are demanding new experiences and
flavours with an increased focus on quality. In
response, this week, Nespresso gathered 14 of the
world’s top chefs to discuss the evolving role of
coffee in fine dining.
Providing the grand finale of a gourmet
meal, coffee plays an important role in the
fine dining experience. In order to stay ahead
of changing customer expectations and
help the world’s leading restaurants offer
a more compelling coffee moment to their
customers, Nespresso invited an exclusive group
of Michelin starred chefs to its headquarters.
Among the group were Yannick Alléno (France,
3*), Emmanuel Renaut (France, 3*), Martín
Berasategui (Spain, 3*), Claude Bosi (UK, 2*)
and Franck Giovannini (Switzerland, 3*). pairings, such as coffee and foie gras or serve something different. This is especially true for
Reto Bruegger, Head of B2B alongside liquors or spirits, as well as how to bring coffee.”  
at Nespresso explained: “While each of these to life the customer’s coffee selection by telling “Nespresso shares my philosophy in the
leading chefs has their own creative vision, the story of its origin. kitchen, creating excellent quality that is perfect
inspiration and techniques, they all want to As part of the day, Nespresso experts every time. You can destroy your fantastic meal in
offer their customers the highest quality, focused on how chefs can disrupt the one minute by not serving good quality coffee.
sustainable ingredients through an innovative coffee routine and offer an experience that That’s why it has been great to work
and memorable experience. The day was a complements the menu, whether by serving with Nespresso as they really understand the
fantastic way to collaborate as these are the same coffee with a savoury course or presenting it in importance of quality, taste and creating a special
qualities that we strive to offer our consumers a glass to change the taste and aromas they moment.”
at Nespresso.” experience. Nespresso has been a well-established
Throughout the day, Nespresso experts Three Michelin starred chef, Jacob Jan partner in the fine dining industry for over 10 years.
introduced a variety of innovative ways to Boerma, from Restaurant de Leest, commented: It is currently working with a large number of the
incorporate coffee into fine dining experiences. “The world is changing as customers know about world’s leading chefs, including many who hold
The chefs explored how to create surprising food the finest ingredients and they expect to see two or three Michelin stars.

Restaurant Associates hosted its Chef Expo 2016

R estaurant Associates, the executive dining division of Compass

Group UK & Ireland, hosted its Chef Expo 2016 for its 350 chef
community at the ExCel Exhibition Centre on Friday, June 17th,
celebrating great food, great chefs and local suppliers.
The event, which launched last year, showcased the culinary
talents of the business’ Associate Chefs, Dipna Anand, Lisa Roukin, Levi
Roots and Ramael Scully. Guests were also able to see Paul Walsh, Jason
Atherton as well as Michel and Emily Roux in action as they took to the
stage to demonstrate their recipes during the Chef Demo Theatre.
Over 40 local suppliers showcased their products and
services during the event and over ten of the latest street food
stalls with a variety of the latest food trends were installed outside
of the expo.
Jeremy Ford, Executive Chef at Restaurant Associates, said:
“Events like this are so important because they showcase our
culinary credentials. Since our expo last year we have created new
consultant chef relationships. We’ve built upon our already great
relationships with our supply base and have forged relationships
with new ones. The Chef Expo was a great success and gave us a
chance to show the passion that drives our success as a business
and makes us memorable to our clients and customers.”
James Boyle, Managing Director of Restaurant Associates,

78
 NEWS
Cocktail Kudos in Seconds
F&B Premium Brands Launches Siphon-Evolution
cocktail foams
C onsumers expect a frothy coffee or a
sudsy head on a beer, and now with
the launch of innovative Siphon-Evolution
cocktail foams from F&B Premium Brands, it
won’t be long before they expect the same
on cocktails and culinary creations.
New for summer 2016, and imported
and distributed exclusively by F&B Premium
Brands, Siphon-Evolution cocktail foams
are the latest innovation by Albert Adrià,
the creative force behind elBulli’s famously
pioneering dishes. Albert has been working
with the brand that inspires food lovers,
the food innovation specialists - R&D Food
Revolution to create this new product.
“This genius new technology transforms
the ordinary to the extraordinary in seconds,”
says Denis Renty, founder and director of F&B
Premium Brands. “The foams are beautifully
light but also stable, so they won’t go flat en
route to delighting customers.” Available in
Gin, Vodka or Sangria, with an ABV of five
per cent, Siphon-Evolution cocktail foams
make drinks and dishes look and taste extra
special.
Siphon-Evolution cocktail foams
can also be heated up to 50˚C in a bain-
marie, so users can experiment with yet
another element to their creations. Among
numerous other outstanding combinations,
the Gin foam is ideal for Gin and juniper
cured salmon, and the Sangria foam is
perfect for fruit, creams, jellies and sorbets.
said: “The Chef Expo 2016 was a celebration of the talent that
we have at Restaurant Associates but it was also an opportunity
to support our supply partners. I was also delighted to welcome
some of our Associate Chefs to demonstrate their skills. They are
a key part of our business and the Restaurant Associates family as
they ensure we are offering the very best training to our chefs and
continuing to deliver fantastic food to our clients and customers.”
The Chef Expo 2016 was also held to showcase its ever
expanding culinary pop-ups which sees the team working with a
number of high-profile chefs and producers to promote the very
best talents in the industry.
The Vodka Siphon-Evolution frothed over
a Cosmopolitan can make an impressive
impact.
“Now, every bartender and chef has
the technical wizardry of an iconic Michelin
starred chef at their fingertips, quickly, easily
and without years of training. But as well
as making regular drinks and dishes more
sophisticated, we’ve found that Siphon-
Evolution cocktail foams actually inspire
further creativity in chefs and mixologists, as
the endless possibilities are suddenly opened
up to them,” added Denis Renty.
“Credited as the creator of elBulli’s
famous molecular gastronomy, Albert is
now permanently in-demand, so we feel
very lucky and proud that he finds the
time to work with R&D Food Revolution
on our cocktail foams and other cutting
edge innovations,” said Denis Renty. As
well as running several new restaurants in
Barcelona with his brother Ferran, Albert
was crowned The World’s Best Pastry Chef
2015 and is currently guesting at London’s
smart Hotel Café Royal for a 50-day
residency.
On his partnership with R&D Food
Revolution, Albert Adrià explained, “We want
to make products available to the public that
were previously unobtainable.”
Siphon-Evolution cocktail foams are
available exclusively from
F&B Premium Brands.
79
 NEWS
Peroni Nastro Azzurro announce
Chef Inspiration winner for 2016
Finalists compete in masterclass with House of Peroni
Master of Taste Francesco Mazzei
F ive Chefs from Mitchells & Butlers’
Premium Country Pubs were invited to The
House of Peroni Residency to create a dish
inspired by the theme ‘contemporary twist
on an Italian classic’ in a masterclass with
Calabrian chef, Francesco Mazzei.   As well as
preparing their own dishes and presenting it
to judges, each finalist learnt how to cook a
signature dish from The Residency under the
guidance of the Francesco.
The winning dish came from Stuart
Jackson, The George & Dragon in Brentwood
who captured the inspiration of The House of
Peroni Residency this year - ‘‘Amare l’Italia’ –
meaning ‘For the love of Italy’ through his dish
of lamb, gnocchi and beetroot fondant.  His
creation will now feature on M&Bs Country
Maxime Michelot from the Shangri-La, At The Shard
wins the title of UK Junior Chocolate Master 2016!
T he winner of the UK Junior Chocolate
Master– has been awarded to Maxime
Michelot, enabling Shangri La, At The Shard
to retain the title of JCM for the second time
in a row!
The chef de partie from Shangri
La, At The Shard was crowned the UK
Junior Chocolate Master after a day
of intense competition on Saturday
4th June and wowed the judges and
audience with his innovative culinary
talent around the theme; “Majestic
Opulence”.
The UK Junior Chocolate Masters
demands from competitors huge
amounts of concentration, nerve
and expertise during the day
long competition, as each is
required to create a moulded
snacking bar, Food on the
go (dessert offering) and a
chocolate showpiece. The
Food on the Go was new
to this edition, as this is a
growing trend in the UK, and
also it was a new introduction
to the last edition of the World
Chocolate Masters held in Paris
during October last year.
80
Pub menus nationwide from Spring 2017. As
well as spending the weekend in London,
Stuart will receive an exclusive chance to
cook with Francesco Mazzei and dine at his
restaurant, Sartoria, one of London’s best
Italian restaurants.
Creator of the exclusive five course private
dining experience at The House of Peroni
Residency, Francesco demonstrated detailed
techniques as part of the finalist masterclass
entitled ‘The Geometry of Pasta’.  The
masterclass also included how to prepare one
of The House of Peroni Residency’s signature
dishes, Tortelli with Burrata. The day concluded
with celebratory drinks, which included Peroni
Nastro Azzurro infusions, created by award
winning mixologist, Simone Caporale.
The contestants represented premium
venues in the country and competed with a
lot of passion and skills. Maxime Michelot was
representing Shangri-La at The Shard, Audrey
Dufay from Madame Posh , Matthew
Jones for Marc Patisserie and Bakery,
Paul Stradling Commis Pastry Chef
at Yauatcha, Dominic Hutchings from
Coworth Park Hotel and Gabriella Cugno,
Demi Chef de Partie at The Ritz Hotel.
The Jury was composed of Yolande
Stanley, lecturer at Westminster
Kingsway College, Will Torrent, free-
lance consultant working for Waitrose
and John Costello who is Development
Chef at Nestle UK.
The judges said the
contestants were a real
credit to the industry and
themselves, producing
an amazing standard
of work which lead
to a really close
contest. All showed
great talent within
confectionery and are
certainly promised a bright future.
Maxime made the final
difference by demonstrating a
Martin Nelson, Operations Director, Mitchells
& Butlers commented: “All the chefs were
delighted to be invited to The House of Peroni
Residency. They had a fantastic day and created
superb dishes, all of which are suited to our
menu. We look forward to introducing the
winning dish our menus next year.”
lot of innovative practical skills and impressive
taste of his creations.
Maxime’s snacking bar was made with
Cacao Barry Inaya and Alunga chocolate
ganache delicately infused with Earl Grey
tea and enhanced with a black current and
raspberry jelly. For the Food on the Go Dessert,
he created a lovely choux bun with a tonka
cremeux and Alunga mousse. His showpiece
was quite risky with a thin base, an impressive
height, and topped with a crown to respect
the theme Majestic Opulence.
The Shangri La has retained the award for
the second year, as former winner Quentin
Bechard also from the Shangri La, passed
over his title to Maxime. Special guests Mark
Tilling and Samantha Rain our 2014 UK Junior
Chocolate Masters and both Crème De La
Crème winners supported the event.
The organisers would like to thank
the sponsors: Les Vergers Boiron, Home
Chocolate Factory, Elle & Vire, Russums,
Thermomix and Angel Refrigeration for their
generous gifts for all contestants.
All the contestants deserved awards as
they all showed real passion and skills in their
work. All the organisers would like to thank
the participants for their dedication and wish
them the best in their future!
Happy with your
couverture?
See what Felchlin can offer you.
Finest Cocoa Beans, Swiss Quality, Traditional Processing.
As a niche producer of the finest Swiss Chocolate, Felchlin create a range
of products that are used by top pastry chefs, bakers and confectioners.
Their extensive couverture range includes Grand Cru, single plantation and
wild bean. When coating truffles or pralines, most of their couverture goes
twice as far as a typical Belgian product, and all have fantastic fluidity and
longer workability than any other couverture.

Working in partnership with the cocoa farmers, Felchlin ensure that the
origin of the cocoa, the selection of the bean, the gentle fermentation and
drying, the slow roasting and up to 72 hours of conching – together with
Swiss quality ingredients - achieve a superior taste.

Town & Country Fine Foods are proud to be the exclusive

supplier of Felchlin in the UK. Please call 0845 672 8000
or email orders@tcfinefoods.co.uk.
For more information see www.tcfinefoods.co.uk.

FELCHLIN IS EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE IN THE U.K. FROM

TOWN & COUNTRY FINE FOODS, THE SPECIALIST SUPPLIER OF CHOCOLATE,
PASTRY AND INGREDIENTS TO THE PROFESSIONAL.

BY APPOINTMENT TO HER
MAJESTY THE QUEEN, SUPPLIERS OF
FINE FOODS, TOWN & COUNTRY
FINE FOODS BERKSHIRE

TOWN & COUNTRY FINE FOODS, NO. 4, PERTH TRADING ESTATE, MONTROSE AVENUE, SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, SL1 4XX, UK
+44 (0)845 672 8000 | orders@tcfinefoods.co.uk | www.tcfinefoods.co.uk