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Morning Coffee with Richard Guest Richard Guest, Head Chef at The Castle Hotel in Taunton, went head to head with the Hairy Bikers in a cook-off to see who could produce the most inspiring Somerset dish. It was the exciting finale of their tour of Somerset, which we were delighted to help with. We can’t tell you the result yet, but all will be revealed when the series goes out on BBC2. Richard has been at The Castle for 9 years, but is certainly not Somerset born and bred. He grew up in York, but was training with the big names in London by the age of 18 and worked alongside Jean Christophe Novelli at The Four Seasons, before running Gordaton Mill in Hampshire. We were intrigued to find out what brought him to Somerset, what it was like to work with The Hairy Bikers and to hear more about what he has done at The Castle. We met in Brazz, The Castle’s trendy buzzing brasserie that’s worth a visit simply for the tropical fish tank, the starry planetarium-like domed ceiling and the art collection – and that’s before we mention the food! At 10am on a Tuesday morning it’s already full of people enjoying a morning coffee. Richard is relaxed and approachable, immediately apologising for being late, although it‘s me that’s early. I start by asking him about Brazz. He says that whilst the atmosphere and food presentation style are completely different to The Castle, it’s based on the same principles, shares the same chefs, the same kitchens and uses the same local suppliers. The garnishes may be simpler, but the quality of the food is never compromised and there is an excellent range of dishes. Families are very welcome; there is deliberately no a special children’s menu, but most things on the adult menu can be served in smaller portions or they’ll make just about anything you ask for, whether it’s pasta with sauce or a simple poached egg. Richard is truly amazed that other restaurants do not/cannot do this. “How difficult can a poached egg be? It’s not as if I’m demanding that it’s got to be the perfect shape” he says. What are the principles? Good, local ingredients, used when in season and therefore at their best. It’s not necessary to hunt down unusual ingredients for the sake of it; we want the food to be good, not twee. We celebrate the best of British in Brazz, as well as in The Castle. For example we know the majority of our customers prefer a perfectly cooked traditional bacon sandwich to a pumpkin muffin! We change the menus seasonally and work from the ingredients to create each restaurant dish. Over the years I’ve been here we’ve got to know and wait for the seasons, but things do vary. This year the pigeons are massive! Maybe it’s down to the weather we had last year. We’re waiting now for the St Endoc asparagus, we get really excited when it comes in! What do you think sets Somerset apart from other counties? Definitely the fruit and veg, not just the quality, but the variety. We use New Cross cherries and plums, and they’re fantastic. Last year they grew raspberries for the first time and they weren’t just good, they were awesome. Who do you source from? We have excellent suppliers that we have got to know really well and that we can rely on –Pitney Farm Shop, Burcott Mill, Brown & Forrest, John Rowswell, Miles Coffee, Pickfords and New Cross are all good examples. What was it like to cook alongside The Hairy Bikers? Si and Dave were great to work with, the whole production team gelled really well and there was a lot of banter between them. It took 3 hours to create their dish, and it got very hot and sweaty, but there wasn’t the level of faffing around that some directors insist on. Their dish was very good; the golden and pink beetroot were interesting, although personally I like to present it candied in vinegar and sugar, or raw with lemon juice and olive oil. It’s lovely served with courgette marscapone or goat’s cheese, like Italian mustard fruits. We place a lot of emphasis on raw veg in our salads, textural seasoning if you like. Was it hard following on from Phil Vickery and Gary Rhodes? I had to make immediate changes from day one, partly to put my own stamp on the place, but more importantly to ensure we had a viable business going into the future. It did take ages to maintain the standards, but things are going really well now. Brazz can turn over 150 covers in a lunch time and I’ve used my events background at The Savoy and Four Seasons to make sure The Castle handles big events well. We’ve got the 10 day bicentenary Haydn Music Festival coming up this month. We have a great team; the staff are lovely, mostly trained from scratch. They all try really hard and want to do well, we’ve got no slackers. My sous chef, Louise Pidsley is only 21, she’s a farmer too, so loves the opportunity to work with the best ingredients, like me. I still spend all my time in the kitchen, my office is a bench under the stairs! I think the key to our success is that we’re a big business with a small business community feel. The team all rotate around the jobs to get a breadth of experience. What are your ambitions? I want to get our Michelin star back. We lost it because we had to focus first and foremost on making the business run, but now Brazz is running smoothly we have more time to think and plan. They do tend to look for a specific style though and I don’t want to conform to that. I’m not a fan of adopting every new trend for the sake of it – I hate foam, and the water bath has been vastly over used! I want to do what’s right for me, for the area and for our restaurants and I hope they’ll recognise that. My son is 18 months old and my family is very important to me. I love the time that I get to spend with him in the afternoons. One of my main motivations for doing my book, Jam with Lamb, was to be able to show him in years to come. I make 90% of my son’s food and love to cook at home. My wife is from Somerset and we are very happy here. I have an idea for another book up my sleeve too.
Richard has a feeling that ‘Britishness’ in cooking has been underrated and will make a resurgence. For Somerset particularly he sees a market for a good tearooms, like Betty’s of Harrogate. I tend to agree, as do Mintel, the gurus of market data, who only last week published a report showing that in times of recession, people embrace home comforts, such as home cooking and draw closer to their families. It might be a revelation to the marketers in London, but actually, it’s what we’ve been doing all along in Somerset. With the abundance of fantastic ingredients, the sense of community and variety of food businesses, it’s no wonder it’s such a good place to live. Richard agrees, “I don’t eat out much, but when I do I like somewhere traditional, like the Greyhound at Staple Fitzpaine or The Farmers.”
Jam with Lamb Richard Guest offers a huge range of mouth-watering recipes based on the very best of locally farmed and produced products, as well as ingredients that can be found in the wild. In addition to the recipes themselves, which are clearly presented, easy to follow and beautifully illustrated, Richard includes a huge amount of practical information on where to get the ingredients, as well as on local suppliers themselves. The result is a book which not only lets the laymen into the culinary secrets one of Britain's most innovative chefs but also celebrates the huge abundance of local produce the West Country has to offer those who appreciate the art of good food. Buy it
The Castle Hotel, Taunton The Hairy Bikers tour Somerset
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