and then it’s afternoon tea which is a focus for us and then it’s dinner for the restaurants, the rooms and the bars; it’s a full on day!
Would you say that there is an added pressure as it is Claridge’s with a reputation for being luxury? I would say there was yeah, I remember feeling slightly differently [when I started], there is pressure but through the expectations of the type of people who come to Claridge’s. They are used to a certain lifestyle and generally know what they want. To deliver that consistently is challenging and a lot of the guests have been coming here for years and have a clear idea of what they want.
With Simon Rogan opening Fera have you noticed an increase in guests? Having Fera at Claridge’s is fantastic, I see the guys everyday as their kitchen is right next to mine and we have a good relationship with the guys. It’s great and they’ve done really well with the Good Food Guide and Michelin and I’ve ate their four times now and it’s been amazing each time.
Do you have any involvement with the masterclasses at Claridge’s? Yeah, we do a chocolate class and an afternoon tea one and we also do one on British puddings, those are the sweet ones which I do but we also do other ones that the head chef does like how to carve game bird and a fish masterclass.
Are you still involved with the Artisan School of Food, do you still teach there? I still have affiliations with them and go and speak and help them with the criteria of their coursework but in regards to teaching I’ve not taught a class there for about a year now. It’s simply because I don’t get the time anymore to get up there but I have no doubt that in the future that I would work with them again as it’s a place that I really love and it’s a brilliant place built up from a charity and it’s doing well.
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow in your footsteps? To be a pastry chef I think you need to focus on continuing and improving what you do, you need to keep a humble attitude and realise that this is a massive field that you need to learn. It’s about working those hours and the practice that you have as a lot of things develop naturally for people.
Would you say it is important to specialise early on in pastry? I think it’s up to the individual, if you know you want to be a pastry chef then you should go for it early on. You can spend your life in pastry and not know everything so the more you’re there the more you’ll learn but I don’t think you can generalise it.
Who has been your biggest influence or someone who gave you advice that you’ve taken throughout your career? I’ve been fortunate to work with some really talented people and people who have devoted a lot of time for me. I would say William Deen who’s a chef/proprietor in Perth and Jeff Bland from The Balmoral have both influenced most.
What would you say your plans are for the next five years? At the moment I’m just concentrating on Claridge’s and I don’t have any plans beyond that, it’s a job that as a pastry chef I knew was there but I never really imagined myself to have it and having it for me makes me really proud, so I’m really happy with it.
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