Chef's 2014 top picks

The Staff Canteen

This year we have been asking some of our interviewees some questions about their: guilty pleasures, rising stars, favourite cookbooks, best service experiences and desert island desserts. Here are just some of the top answers we’ve had throughout the year in our chef's 2014 top picks:

Guilty pleasures

Most popular top five: Crisps- Gill Meller Mars Bars- Ernst Van Zyle Indian curry- Adam Smith Cheese Strings- Jack Stein Kebabs

 

Most unusual top 5

Baked banana and mars bar- Adam Smith Salt and vinegar/prawn cocktail crisp sandwiches- Daniel Doherty Fried eggs on Marmite toast- Gill Meller Lamb brain- Matt Edmonds Pigs head- Matt Edmonds

 

Rising stars top 5

Ronny Emborg, Copenhagen- Ernst Van Zyle Neil Rankin, Smokehouse- Jack Stein Elliott Lidstone, The Empress, Victoria Park- Daniel Doherty Paul Foster at Malory Court- Adam Smith Paul Welburn, head chef at Rhodes W1- Matt Edmonds  

Favourite cookbooks top 10 Food Heroes,

Rick Stein- Jack Stein Paul Food, Paul Cunningham- Jack Stein McGee on Food & Cooking, Harold McGee- Jack Stein The French Laundry Cookbook, Thomas Keller- Daniel Doherty, Daniel Pearse The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts, David McMillan, Frederic Morin, and Meredith Erickson – Daniel Doherty Noma, René Redzepi- Ernst Van Zyle The Wizard’s Cookbook, Ronny Emborg- Ernst Van Zyle Too Many Chiefs Only One Indian, Sat Bains- Daniel Doherty, Ernst Van Zyle, Adam Smith Magic Chocolate, Franz Ziegler- John Costello Eleven Madison Park The Cookbook, Daniel Humm- Ernst Van Zyle, Adam Smith

 

Excellent service top 10

Sailors Thai, Sydney- Stephanie Little The French Laundry, California- Stephanie Little, Paulo de Tarso Chanes The Dorchester, London- Emmanuel Landre Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London- Emmanuel Landre The Ledbury, London- Peter Klimcsak, Paulo de Tarso Chanes Galvin at Windows, London- Peter Klimcsak Le Gavroche, London- Diego Masciaga Daniel Boulud Restaurant, New York- Paulo de Tarso Chanes Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland- Will Smith The Square, London, Phil Howard- Paulo de Tarso Chanes

 

Desert island desserts top 10

Sticky toffee pudding and custard- Peter Joyner, Daniel Pearse Lemon tart- Paul Young, Simon Jenkins, Daniel Pearse Chocolate soufflé- Simon Jenkins Rhubarb crumble and custard- Simon Jenkins Oven baked rice pudding- Simon Jenkins Lemon meringue pie- Peter Joyner Eton mess- Peter Joyner Chocolate brownie- John Costello, Peter Joyner Apple Crumble- Daniel Pearse Tarte tatin with ice cream- Rosio Sanchez What have been your guilty food pleasures this year or a top restaurant experience that you can't forget?

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 17th December 2014

Chef's 2014 top picks