The award-winning restaurateur who doesn't believe in charging for service
I have never believed in charging for service... We are certainly in the minority on this but do believe it is the customer's right to leave a service tip if they wish.
The simplest tip to be a better cook is... to constantly taste your food, seasoning with salt and pepper.
The one thing I hate that some customers do is... booking a table and not honouring the booking. This happens less nowadays, but it still rears its head every now and then.
The most overrated single food item is… fermented foods. I fully understand its origins, but it seems to be just a restaurant food fashion here in the UK.
The most annoying review I ever had was… from a person who had clearly never visited our restaurant, let alone dined with us! It happens sadly.
My favourite cheap place to eat where I live is... Mannion's of Helmsley. They offer a cracking full-cooked breakfast, which is done with care and skill. A great Monday morning spot after a busy weekend.
I have absolutely no issue with people ordering tap water... We often do the same when eating out.
The only rare time sharing is unacceptable might be... when a table of five orders one dessert and five spoons. That can be a bit much.
The best city in the world to eat in is... New York. A fantastic eating mecca. Something delicious for any budget, day or night.
I've cut costs in my restaurant by... literally turning off/powering down any equipment that is not in use. Other than fridges. Even turning off the kettle at the wall is now the done thing. A few years ago, this would not even have been a thought.
My cheap recipe is for creme brulee...
This dessert has been an almost permanent staple on our menu for the past 20 years - a very popular choice.
The idea here is to obtain a silky-smooth custard, using rich egg yolks only. Whole eggs can be used but the results are very different.
If using fresh vanilla pods, reserve the pods for other uses, as they have bags of flavour.
For the best results, you will need a gas blow torch. This is a very controlled way of caramelising sugar.
The recipe makes six creme brulee...
Ingredients:
500g double cream
2 x vanilla pods, seeds scraped (or two tsp of high-quality vanilla extract)
60g caster sugar
235g egg yolk (cartons of liquid egg yolk can be bought easily online)
Extra caster sugar for brulee
Method:
Preheat oven to 90°C.
Place all ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan, except the egg yolks.
Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, cover and leave for 30 minutes for vanilla to infuse.
Place pot back on a low heat and whisk in the egg yolks to combine and bring to a very gentle simmer. Do not boil, as you will have scrambled egg custard!
Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a jug.
Pour the custard into suitable ramekins, almost to the top.
Place the ramekins into the oven and bake for approximately twenty minutes.
Keep an eye on the custard, giving a ramekin a gentle shake after twenty minutes. You want the custard to have a gentle wobble in the centre. This will look almost undercooked but do not be deterred!
Remove the ramekins from the oven and allow to cool. Place in the fridge for at least six hours to set. (Egg carries on cooking in the residual heat, hence removing from oven before fully set.)
When ready to serve, remove ramekins from the fridge. Sprinkle a fine, even layer of caster sugar over each custard. Caramelise the sugar using a gas blow torch.
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