First food memory?
Going fishing at the age of five. I caught a trout with a bamboo cane, thread and pin with a large worm on the end. I was shown how to fillet it by the local fishmonger and then my mother taught me how to cook it. Delicious!
First cookery skills?
Making bonfire toffee and Lancashire Parkin to eat with my friends on bonfire night.
Favourite ingredients?
Using mace and nutmeg along with cinnamon, paprika and sea salt and pepper.
Recipes or improvise?
Many recipes, I find, do not work so I like to improvise to guarantee I end up with a quality product.
Most underrated dish?
Spaghetti bolognaise. It’s even better made with your own fresh pasta, seasoned and buttered when al dente then mixed with a red wine, garlic, minced beef and tomato reduction. Seasoned to taste and topped with finely chopped parmesan flakes. Wow!
Indispensable kitchen gadget or utensil?
I use very sharp Victorinox Swiss knives. The smallest gadget I have is pin-bone tweezers to remove pin bones from sea bass and salmon.
Tell us a top cookery tip?
Use fresh yeast instead of powdered yeast, which can be purchased from the bread counters of the main supermarket chains. Also use leaf gelatin instead of powdered gelatin as it is easier to control the consistency of the product.
Eat at home or eat out?
Eat at home as cooking is my passion.
What’s Britain’s best kept food secret?
Natural woodland fungi for vegetarian pithivier (a savoury French pie) and roadside apples and brambles to make a good crumble.
What are the key ingredients for a successful cookery class?
Each student should feel like they have learnt something, got value for money and most importantly had lots of fun. Therefore we have created a domestic kitchen environment, work with utensils that can be purchased in the local supermarket along with easily sourced, fresh ingredients.
What do students enjoy most about learning to cook?
Feeling that they have achieved something. Experimenting with flavour combinations and techniques that they can use at home. To find out how simple cookery is and proudly taking home the items they have cooked for friends and family to sample.
