The really bizarre thing was that at the beginning of the week we were only given half of a green scourer and a small bottle of bleach — these ran out quickly so we all had to buy our own cleaning supplies.
At the end of the week we all had to do a really big clean down after service so we would finish around am and I would hear the birds singing in the trees on my way back home. I remember the Perigord truffles being out if this world and the smell was truly amazing. There was one particular dish that I shall never forget: the Poulet de Bresse with Perigord truffles. We pan fried thick slices of truffles in butter, then they were de-glazed with Madeira and a little white chicken stock and cream.
The chicken had sliced truffles under the skin of the breast and legs and was then poached in a truffle stock. To finish it off, we made truffle macaroni which was roasted in a little butter and coated in chopped truffles, cream and parmesan. This dish was heaven, the smells, the tastes were utterly sublime. It was like chalk and cheese compared to Robuchon.
Here we worked in two teams, one in the morning and one the evening, working approximately 12 hours a day — which felt like heaven compared to where I had come from. I learnt so much not only working with Boyer but from working in Champagne. After spending two weeks in the kitchen again with Richard and his team, they left and I was on my own.
I wondered why anyone would want to come and work for me -I had no following, no team, no reputation and I was under immense pressure knowing I could lose one star, if not both. For the first six months there were three of us in the kitchen and it was hard going. I had no management experience and my people skills were diabolical. I was a chef working 20 hour days, six days a week and I slightly lost control. But September came around and a weight was lifted off my shoulders when the Michelin Guide was released and it was confirmed that we retained the second star and I had become the youngest British chef to achieve this accolade.
I was ecstatic with the news and after five years there, I knew it was time for me to move on. It was such a thrill to be working back with Chef again. At this point in I was really wanting to try something new and a fresh challenge, so I asked around about working in the private sector.
It was a completely different direction for me and I felt at that time in my life and career it was most likely the best decision I made. I was exhausted, and to be honest, I needed a break.
For the next two years I stepped out of the professional kitchen and decided to work privately for Lord Lloyd Webber and the Bamford family. I worked at their house of residence and helped Lady Bamford with the opening of Daylesford Organic. At the beginning, there was only the shop and the creamery at Daylesford, and we began creating and testing a range of foods, from jams and pickles to soups and ready meals, that could be sold in the farm shop.
Carole was passionate, and it was clear how deeply she wanted to make an impact. That made us a natural pairing.
Working with Carole and the team really opened my eyes to the processes behind food production. It gave me an appreciation for the work that farmers put into giving us chefs great ingredients to cook with.
But I was starting to miss the buzz of a service kitchen. Tom Aikens Restaurant opened in April in Chelsea. It was a huge step for me: my own restaurant, my own name above the doors. The pressure was really on. As always with a new team in a new environment, it took time to settle in.
Filming started six months before we opened and captured everything from construction and food development to all the nitty gritty bits and pressure points of opening a restaurant. Stressful times, but I remember those first few years with a lot of fondness. Then after eleven years, we decided to close Tom Aikens restaurant in to focus on my other projects.
Many of them are now doing great things independently which is awesome to see. So when I was asked to create a fine dining menu for 2, guests, I was delighted. This was one of the first functions that I did with The Admirable Crichton, which would then lead us onto forming a more permanent partnership. This involved a cocktail reception aboard The R. This was a mixture of simple everyday recipes as well as more elaborate restaurant dishes from the Tom Aikens restaurant.
The book was broken down into cooking categories from easy to hard, as well as simple step-by-step cooking methods. I created a one-off dinner event for Michelle Ong, a fine jewellery designer who co-founded Carnet. The menu was frogs legs with morille and chervil, lamb loin with fennel and anchovy, then mango delice with lime. Memories from my childhood, sitting at a large kitchen table with my family and brothers, eating straight from the pot or everyone sharing their food with each other.
So many of us have had these special moments which have revolved around sharing a great lunch or supper with those we love. My second book, Fish, came out of travels to fish markets and conversations with fishermen locally and worldwide, In the book, I provide an insight into the state of the fishing industry of today and question what the future looks like for our troubled waters.
Highlighting the need for sustainable and responsible fishing, looking at other varieties of fish such as megrim sole, pollack and gurnard. While creating new takes on old favourites like salmon, sea bass, scallops and crab. With over recipes which range from very simple to some more elaborate chosen recipes. An A-Z guide to fish species indicating which ones to choose and which to avoid and how to tell when something is fresh.
I also added step by step preparation techniques of flat and round fish as well as shellfish. This was a very proud moment for all of us at restaurant Tom Aikens where we obtained the very difficult five star status in the AA guide.
This same year I had the great privilege of cooking for all the guests at the AA Awards, where I cooked the main course dish of baby lamb with fig puree and sheeps cheese. My third book, Easy, is on simple cooking. The book covers breakfast, light snacks, food on the go, food on the cheap, what food to make for a celebration and for a Sunday home roast. As I was part of the ambassador program for Team and helped with fundraising for the British Olympic team, I had the great honour of being part of the Olympic torch relay.
It was such an amazing honour to be part of this procession. As I ran across Battersea Bridge in London carrying the Olympic torch, thousands of people lined the streets and cheered me on my way. And I even got to keep the torch! I created a menu for the courtside restaurant at Wimbledon championships for the duration of the competition, in conjunction with other great chefs Albert Roux and Bryn Williams.
This was such a hit, I returned for three more years, each time with new and adventurous menus and chefs. Although over the years, the one constant was coronation chicken! This was a short PR trip to promote myself to the wider audience of Hong Kong, I was soon to be taking up the helm at The Pawn in Wan Chai and this was a one-off dinner where I served some of my dishes from Tom Aikens.
Among the dishes were crab with horseradish and coconut, beef tartare, juniper and coriander mayonnaise pickled maitake, cauliflower, pannacotta truffle and mace flavoured gin, piglet belly with squid and pineapple, caramel parfait cinnamon twigs and apple jelly.
The first time I went to Hong Kong I fell in love with the vibrancy of the city and I remember being wowed by the fast development of the food scene there. The opportunity to look after the launch of The Pawn in Wan Chai as culinary Director was fantastic and I feel very honoured to be part of it.
As its name suggests, The Pawn used to be a pawn shop back in the s. It is a beautiful building and has been listed as a local heritage conservation site. It first became a restaurant in , reopening in after a large refurbishment and new culinary direction.
We relaunched the venue with a bar called Botanicals on the first floor, serving beautiful cocktails and casual food. The restaurant on the second floor delivers a modern British menu with some great local twists. The rooftop is also home to our garden where we grow herbs, vegetables, salads and edible flowers. The name of the restaurant was rooted in what I truly love about food: it can be delicious and amazing served family-style in pots, pans and on boards.
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At the beginning of , Tom returned to the world of fine dining by opening the intimate, very personal twenty-five cover restaurant Muse, where he serves tasting menus inspired by his life and career.
The restaurant won a Michelin star in under a year. Take a look at what's new and get inspired. Latest Recipes. Can't see what you're looking for? Browse our collection of cooking guides.
View All. Tom Aikens Muse. Social Media Twitter: tomaikens. Facebook: Tom Aikens. Instagram: Tom Aikens. See all Tom's Recipes. Coronation chicken salad. Marinated mackerel with beetroot, hazelnuts and horseradish.
Three things you need to know. If Tom wasn't a chef, he would have been an endurance sports athlete or a jump jockey. The weirdest thing Tom has ever eaten is pig's testicles. Pitch perfect. Cherry tomato gazpacho.
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