I am often asked who is my favourite chef, who inspires me, what or who rocks my culinary boat. I then begin to think and ponder - I suppose I wonder what hat I am wearing, food lover, chef, cook, owner or someone who just likes eating, difficult question and one I am going to enjoy talking about!

Many years ago I would have been excited about guys who prepared fantastic food that looked amazing. They used new and advanced techniques, describing their food with language I had not heard before, food so far away from what I did that I would have been totally blown away!

This food was to be worshipped, done for the wow factor, all show and potentially no depth, don’t get me wrong there are some superstar chefs out there who have got it all, talent, skill, professionalism, ethics, skill, you name it, every remit under the sun to be world class. But I have realised they are few and far between the norm, so in my early years I just idolised the chefs who did pretty pictures and talked rubbish!

So as an older, wiser, educated, more informed person, I tend to look to people like Shaun Hill, Simon Hopkinson, George Perry Smith, Elisabeth David from the old guard and the new guns like Nathan Outlaw, Martin Wishart and Andrew Fairle. Obviously there are many more, but these  talented individuals stand out to me for people to who taste and flavour are of paramount importance and customer satisfaction is key, they love to feed people and give simple enjoyment of their craft. 

My idea of great food is all about enjoyment, back to basics, the classics, simple tasty and flavorsome, great ingredients, locally produced, enjoyed with friends in a great atmosphere. 

I have been cooking for nearly thirty years now and the things I really rate, food and drink wise, are as follows: 

Best bread - La Tante Clare 

Best seafood starter - Airds, Port Appin (langoustines fresh from the creel)

Best starter - Francos, Thai pork appetiser 

Best main course - Simon Hopkinson, Bibendum, steak au poivre 

Best fish main course - Scott’s, Dover sole meuniere 

Best steak - Clive Davidson, Champney Inn 

Best bottle of wine - Charlie Palmer Steak, Screaming Eagle

Best beer - Thornbridge Brewery, Lord Marples

Best food - Nobu 

Best dessert - The Box Tree, Ilkley, rose water ice cream 

I think I will add to this list forever and ever ...till the day I die!

Places that I really respect in the Yorkshire area, who have a great reputation through hard work, great product, always investing in their business, always busy, at the top of the game - these people are the real life and soul of our great industry: The Magpie Cafe in Whitby, The Star Inn at Harome, The Three Acres at Shelley, Sous Le Nez in Leeds, Baldwins in Sheffield and BB’s Criterion in Leeds - these are the guys who impress me and inspire me to do better, re-focus and keep pushing on, so happy cooking!

A Great Success at The Cricket Inn

The Brewkitchen Chefs were out in force again this week! After Simon Wild won the Great Oyster Opening Championship, this Tuesday saw The Great Pancake Race, and hotly contested it was. Norby, Sous Chef at The Cricket, ‘tossed’ the competition aside and ran out a worthy winner. Whatever competition next I hear you cry - well let us know what you would enjoy and we will see what we can do.

The group shot left to right;

James Mellor (Sous Chef, Artisan)

Jordan Kelly (cdp Cricket)

Russ Osborne (newly promoted Head Chef, Troway)

Mathew D Jones (aka Chewy, Sous Chef, Relish)

Mallin (Sous Chef, Cricket)

The winner, Norby (Jn Sous Chef, Cricket - not a fix!)

Marco A P Carines (Head Chef, Cricket)

Chagit Wiggers (a great all-rounder at the Cricket)

Burgers

For some time now I have been doing a lot of research and development into burgers. Why are they so popular all around the world? Basically, two bits of bread and a meat pattie? Several huge global brands have turned over billions in sales of them! 
This is incredible, they are made at home, takeaways, supermarkets and restaurants, everywhere we look burgers, burgers and even more burgers!
There are many stories about the history of burgers, or the hamburger, but for me it’s just a hot sandwich.
Some of the most famous and busiest restaurants around the world sell them and they become their biggest sellers, no matter what else they sell, create, develop or hang their hat on, the paying public love a great burger!
So here is my own very simple burger, I like a really nice soft brioche bun, lightly toasted, the meat itself - I would use a really great ground beef mince from the chuck of the animal about a 80% meat to 20% fat split. Chargrilled lightly, seasoned, cooked medium and then a lovely ripe tomato, jumbo but sweet dill pickle, slices of red onion, shredded iceberg lettuce, nicely layered, simple yet perfect... then the fun begins.
This is the era of the ultimate burger, the gourmet burger, the designer burger, the mega starred and celebrity chef creating burgers of fantasy!
Add crispy pancetta, foie gras, pulled BBQ pork, lobster, blue cheese, goats cheese, truffles, sticky onion jam and on and on we go - pimp my burger is what I say!
Why not try a wagyu burger, crab, tuna, lamb kafta, pork & black pudding, tiger prawn? All burgers, all great, all unique, maybe even use a flavoured bread or no bread - use big jumbo field mushrooms as your bread, the list is endless!
I love burgers, I’am happy to be a Burgermeister Smith, luckily they are the perfect match to beer, so my friends at Thornbridge Brewery are happy too!
My customers are happy because at RELISH our burgers ‘rock’! My friend, the multi Michelin starred chef from Manhattan, Daniel Boulud loves burgers too, in my opinion his are the best right now just amazing - if you can’t get to New York try his Bar Boulud in London his burgers are brilliant.Also my vegetarian friends can also enjoy a great choice too from chick pea to sweet potato, white bean and aubergine - some great burgers there. 
I would love to open a Artisan Burger Company this year which would offer an amazing array of handcrafted burgers, designed to the maximum to create a truly great simple burger, in a quirky dinner feel with a great selection of craft beers from around the world!
Happy flipping 

Masterclass in the butchery

Look out for some great pig dishes coming up at The Cricket Inn. 

Head Chef Marco and his team were joined by Group Exec Chef Les Rennie and were given a masterclass in the butchery of a pig.

A truly great and unique food source

It was a great week of programming by Channel 4 last week discussing the basic abuse, ignorance, consumer greed and misunderstanding of a truly great and unique food source - fish. 

Channel 4 has a brilliant commitment to some top food issues and to get Gordon, Jamie, Heston and Hugh to cover the subject of fish is fantastic, and well done to the producers for an honest and frank insight into the problems we face.

I have always loved cooking and eating all things from the sea - from crabs, langoustines, mussels, lobsters, oysters, scallops and clams to Dover sole, cod, salmon, halibut, ling, haddock, turbot, sea bass…to be honest, the list could go on and on. How lucky are we that the choice of the base product is vast, diverse and amazing? Do any of us realise how lucky we are to have some of the greatest fish and shellfish on our doorstep?

I always think when I’m eating seafood that I should do this more often - the delicate flavours and the taste of the sea coming through from the quality of product.

We should embrace and help this great product - but how? First, simply try more varieties of seafood, this will help the seafood industry, the fisherman and the coastal ports. Buy sustainable fresh fish and shellfish landed on our shores to cook at home or to eat in restaurants. My own chefs are trained to really high standards in the art of fish cookery. Quite simply put yourself out there. If not, the future is all about frozen farmed fish and this cannot be right when we are an island with a huge fish heritage. Offer your support and enjoy the best natural food resource.

Talking of fish, I was fortunate to have some great fish for lunch the other day at the iconic Baldwins Omega on Psalter Lane. The ‘big un’ was there himself, David Baldwin. I had an excellent finnan haddock bake and an exceptional monkfish dish, also on the lunch menu was sea bass with scallops. The cooking is of high standard with brilliant homemade bread - all superb. This was a great lunch, good company, superb service and one of the true great mine hosts outside London.

David is also committed to sourcing great seafood. A good choice of product ‘banged out’ fresh to a full house at lunch time, and his new cookery book contains some great seafood recipes.

Join our own chef Simon Wild for an in-depth fish masterclass and cooking demonstration on Sunday 6th March at Catch. Tips on buying,
preparing, storing and cooking the British Isles’ best quality fish, plus a gourmet seafood extravaganza with a wine tasting. Check out the website for details.

So you really have no excuse guys - come on, let’s get cooking fish!

Friday night saw our Oyster Competition played out in front of a packed Catch restaurant.

The Competitors:
Marco from the Cricket Inn
Jack from Relish
Danny from Artisan
Craig from Troway
Craig from Champs
Carl from Catch
Simon from Events & Business
 
Unfortunately no World Records were broken, however the evening ended with a dramatic twist as Relish’s Jack Baker, who had originally been declared winner, was disqualified after judge Richard Smith found pieces of shell in his opened oysters - the Head Chef from our Events and Business division, Simon Wild, was then handed the title.

 
Following the success of the Oyster Day, we are holding a Mussel Festival at Catch between 25th and 29th January. See the Catch Events Page for all of the details.

The Sheffield Food Scene in the Last 12 Months

How’s it been for you? Certainly the consumer has benefited from discounts and some exciting venues opening up and others raising their game. As ever some great stories out there, success and failure. For me, the more success spread around the city the better, whether it’s mine or my fellow chefs it doesn’t matter, it’s just nice if we all do well. But unfortunately because of the world we live in today, the economy and its effects are top of all our agendas and it has sometimes been the permanent or temporary closures that have grabbed the headlines.

I would prefer it if our sole focus was on new dishes inspired by great local ingredients from amazing artisan producers but unfortunately we do not live in a rich food producing area with an abundance of suppliers like say in the north of the County. It’s a shame but true. I think some of the chefs out there are really pushing on trying to build their reputations in difficult times, I always think great chefs and cooks are the ones who know the right balance, not too much and not too little, just the right amount of innovation and not overly safe.
 
As always the failures are upsetting and give me no satisfaction when they happen. I have personally experienced in the last 12 months a project that didn’t work out, but as I always say ‘fall down seven times, get up eight’ - I have been fortunate in being able to do that. However, on the positive side there has been some great success stories too.
 
Food trends are so diverse now it is hard to pin point one actual area where I could say there is real prominence. At the moment, obviously nose to tail of animals is moving at pace, where chefs are trying to find new retro ingredients that will inspire customers, staff and suppliers alike and working closely with farms and on their allotments. I think this is a really great path to take as it shows dedication, inspiration and commitment, though not new it is still the right path to take.
 
Chefs have slowly realised that they should cook their own food not other chefs straight from a book - add a bit of their own inspiration, use books, the Internet, magazines, eat out. I take ideas from all these places but don’t just copy.
 
There is more emphasis on classical dishes this year which is always good. A good old un will always beat any new one. As Marco Pierre White said “everything in food has been done before it is just being reworked or described differently on a menu”. What we have to do is excite the customer - if you can offer ‘Choice, Value and Quality’ within your menu you will not go far wrong.
 
So 2010 was a tough year for many, but the food world is so diverse it is hard to say one trend has stood out to me. I think the days of a diverse world cuisine are here to stay. On a final note, New York foodies and chefs are talking about who does the best burger and garlic bread - bring on 2011.

Thank you for your support in 2010, look forward to seeing you in 2011.